Giant dinosaur print discovered on Isle of Wight beach

The footprint Joe found is almost a metre across

A huge dinosaur footprint has been discovered on a beach on the Isle of Wight.

The incredible find, a130-million-year-old Iguanodon print, was made by palaeontologist and fossil guide Joe Thompson.

Iguanodons were huge herbivores, reaching up to 11m (36ft) long and weighing up to 4.5 tonnes.

The three-toed shape is almost 1m (3ft) across and was revealed after storms hit the pebble beach, moving away some of the stones.

Fossil guide Joe described the spot as "really lucky" and said it was the best footprint he had ever found.

Palaeontologist Joe had been on a morning walk looking for fossilised bones when he spotted a "big purple toe" on the ground where the storms had pushed back the stones on the beach.

"Anything that's that old and that exciting - it gives you such a rush, especially a huge, almost 1m-long footprint just lying on the beach, "Joe said following his epic find.

"It just makes you think about everything that happened before humans even existed."

Joe made his dino-tastic discovery on a morning walk on the Isle of Wight

Sadly, the footprint is unlikely to be around for much longer.

"It's a shame they are not completely permanent - they do wash away after a period," Joe said.

"In the mud, it will only be around for a few months at the most."

So what should you do if you come across what you think could be a dinosaur print?

Joe suggests that anyone who finds one should take a photo, ideally with something like a shoe in the picture to show how big the print is, and send it to a local museum or expert to be identified.