Hundreds of ancient human footprints, some dating back 9,000 years, have been found alongside prehistoric animal tracks on Merseyside.
Dubbed the "Serengeti of Europe," scientists have said the newly discovered footprints on Formby beach show wolves, lynx and wild boar roamed the area alongside humans, before a major decline in biodiversity 5,500 years ago. Researchers from the University of Manchester said the first prints date back almost 9,000 years and the most recent are about 1,000 years old.
Their findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, reveal how the coastal environment transformed over thousands of years, as sea levels rapidly rose and humans settled permanently by the water. The sandy stretch of the north-west England coast is already known to be home to one of the largest collections of prehistoric animal tracks on Earth.
