The earliest fossilised footprints of a prehistoric creature ever found in Europe and possibly in the world have been discovered by geologists on Valentia Island, Co Kerry.
The Valentia footprints, which are remarkably well-preserved, are believed to have been made by a tetrapod, a pre-dinosaur creature about a metre in length which resembled a large, lizard-like salamander.
The creature is one of the earliest known vertebrate lifeforms that crawled out of the sea to live on the land about 400 million years ago, at what is regarded as a critical moment in evolution.
Tetrapods died out about 320 million years ago, to be replaced by a new wave of totally different amphibians. They were distant ancestors of dinosaurs, which first appeared about 200 million years ago.
Geologists say the footprints found in rocks on Valentia's seashore are 385 million years old. They are the earliest examples ever found in Europe and the second oldest in the world after a set in Australia.
Dr Ken Higgs of the Department of Geology at University College, Cork, said yesterday that the Valentia footprints may well turn out to be the world's oldest.
There are about 150 prints made by the same creature in a meandering track some 15 metres long, and geologists now hope to find the creature's skeleton in the next phase of their investigation.
The Geological Survey of Ireland is concerned that the footprints may become a target for unscrupulous collectors. "We need to enlist the support of everyone concerned in order to ensure that this does not happen," it said.