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All Ireland Kerry Tetrapod Trackway

Tetrapod Trackway

Petrified footprints of one of the very first vertebrates to walk on land.

Kerry, Ireland

Added By
Chris Staring
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Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway   mozzercork
Tetrapod Trackway   BikeGeek (Atlas Obscura User)
Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway - Blasket Islands in the distance.   BikeGeek (Atlas Obscura User)
View of Tetrapod Trackway from carpark.   BikeGeek (Atlas Obscura User)
Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway  
Path to Tetrapod Trackway.   BikeGeek (Atlas Obscura User)
Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway  
Tetrapod Trackway   Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Tetrapod tracks!   Kerry Wolfe / Atlas Obscura User
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About

About 385 million years ago, a primitive vertebrate walked through the muddy coastline of Ireland's Valentia Island, dragging its lizard-like tail behind it as it climbed ashore. Incredibly, the tracks it left behind were preserved and can still be seen today, a snapshot of one of the very first transitions of life from the sea to the land. 

These prehistoric footprints were preserved by silt and turned to rock over the years, and today the petrified Tetrapod Trackway is among the oldest evidence in the world of four-legged vertebrates—animals with backbones—walking on land. These early amphibians, of course, eventually evolved into mammals, and ultimately into humans.

The Tetrapod Trackway on Valentia Island have been dated to the Devonian Period and are between 350 million and 370 million years old. It is one of four similar trackways currently existing in the world: There are others in Tarbet Ness, Scotland; Genoa River, NSW Australia; and Glen Isla, Victoria Australia. 

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Animals Prehistoric Fossils

Know Before You Go

The parking lot is located at N 51° 55.770 W 010° 20.749. The car ferry from Renard Point only operates from April to October. The path from the car park to the site is not handicapped accessible. Parts of it are steep and can be slippery in wet weather. The Trackway is free and is open year round. Follow the small signs reading Tetrapod trackway on Valentia Island. The prints are down a small road in the very north east corner of the Island, near the Grotto. Valentia Island is accessible via a ferry from Renard Point to Knightstown, or from a toll-free bridge from Portmagee. Paved, albeit narrow, twisting, and sometimes steep roads lead from both Knightstown and the Portmagee bridge to a small car park. Visitors can then walk down a quarter-mile path to the site. An information board provides historical information about the site and a short path with steps leads visitors to the shore where they can view the footprints.

Community Contributors

Added By

SkareMedia

Edited By

Rachel, Meg, Kerry Wolfe, Collector of Experiences

  • Rachel
  • Meg
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • Collector of Experiences

Published

August 30, 2016

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Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentia_Island
  • http://www.krolltravel.com/stories/ireland-valentia-tetrapod-trackway-footprints.html
Tetrapod Trackway
Unnamed Road
Kerry
Ireland
51.929884, -10.348119
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Nearby Places

O'Shea's Pub

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Saint Brendan’s Well

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Telegraph Field Valentia Island

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kerry

Kerry

Ireland

Places 13

Nearby Places

O'Shea's Pub

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Saint Brendan’s Well

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Telegraph Field Valentia Island

Kerry, Ireland

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kerry

Kerry

Ireland

Places 13

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