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All the United Kingdom Scotland Prehistoric Crocodile Footprint

Prehistoric Crocodile Footprint

Dating back roughly 240 million years to the Triassic period, it was left by a large, 12-foot-long crocodile ancestor called a Chirotherium or "hand-beast".

Kildonan, Scotland

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The Chirotherium, a 12-foot-long crocodile-like reptile, left trails of footprints in four different locations on the Isle of Arran, Scotland, where it lived around 270 million years ago. Some of these footprints measure up to 40 centimetres long and feature large talons, making them the largest Chirotherium prints ever discovered on Earth. At the time, Arran was part of the supercontinent Pangaea, and Chirotherium lived in a hot, arid climate near the sea.

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The prints are completely covered by the sea at high tide and are only safely accessible and visible when the tide goes out. The rocks can be slippery, wet, and covered in seaweed. 

 

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September 2, 2026

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  • https://www.scottishgeologytrust.org/geology/scotlands-geology/scotlands-fossils/triassic-reptiles/

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Reptiles Fossils
Prehistoric Crocodile Footprint
Kildonan, Scotland, KA27 8SE
United Kingdom
55.443698, -5.136034

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