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Dinosaur footprints have been found in the Isle of Skye. The hundreds of indentations are actually the remnants of paths walked by huge plant-eating sauropods around 170 million years ago.

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh identified the footprints in layers of rock, which would have been at the bottom of a shallow, salt water lagoon when the prints were made. The researchers found that the dinosaurs were early, distant relatives of more well-known species, such as Brontosaurus and Diplodocus.

Dr Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "The new tracksite from Skye is one of the most remarkable dinosaur discoveries ever made in Scotland.

"There are so many tracks crossing each other that it looks like a dinosaur disco preserved in stone.

"By following the tracks you can walk with these dinosaurs as they waded through a lagoon 170 million years ago, when Scotland was so much warmer than today."

The footprints, the largest of which is 70 cm in diameter are the first sauropod tracks to be found in Scotland.

Dr Tom Challands of the School of GeoSciences, who took part in the discovery and research, said: "This find clearly establishes the Isle of Skye as an area of major importance for research into the Mid-Jurassic period.

"It is exhilarating to make such a discovery and being able to study it in detail, but the best thing is this is only the tip of the iceberg. I'm certain Skye will keep yielding great sites and specimens for years to come."

The discovery is helping scientists to reimagine the habitats and lifestyles of dinosaurs. The Skye trackways reveal that sauropods spent lots of time in coastal areas and shallow water.

The study, published in Scottish Journal of Geology, was supported by the University of Edinburgh and The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.