Tributes to man who discovered Skye dinosaur footprint as a child

Dugald Ross discovered dinosaur footprints on Skye when he was a boy

Tributes have been paid to an islander who discovered evidence of dinosaur footprints in the Isle of Skye as a schoolboy.

Dugald Ross, who has died at the age of 68 following a period of ill health, made the discovery years before they were officially recognised as fossils in the 1980s.

When he found the footprints his teachers did not believe him, but he went on to help make Skye famous as Scotland's "dinosaur island".

An honorary doctorate of science (PhD) that Mr Ross was awarded from the University of Edinburgh University in November 2024 acknowledged his childhood discoveries.

Edinburgh University paleontologist Prof Steve Brusatte worked with Mr Ross, who was also known as Dougie, for more than a decade.

He told BBC Naidheachdan: "Dougie really was Scotland's dinosaur guy."

When Mr Ross was a teenager he built and ran a museum in Staffin, in north-east Skye.

His collection at the time included ammonites, marine animals with a coiled shell.

Over the years, he was involved in work to uncover further dinosaur footprints and helped to extract bones.

Often, he was to be found taking groups of school children, tourists and experts to seaside fossil site across the island.

He was also deeply involved with preserving local history as a director of Staffin Community Trust.

Sìne Gillespie, who worked with Mr Ross as part of the trust, said he was among the most knowledgeable of the social and family histories of the area.

"Dugald was the sort of man who got on well with everybody," she added.

"He was just so kind."

Prof Brusatte said he came across multiple mentions of Mr Ross in scientific papers before moving to Scotland from the US in 2013.

"It wasn't just fossils, he found lots of archaeological and cultural artefacts from Skye's history," said Prof Brusatte.

He added: "There would be no Scotland's Dinosaur Island - none of that would be there if wasn't for Dougie."