66-Million-Year-Old Footprint Discovery Reveals Something About Tyrannosaurus That Researchers “Never Imagined”

A new discovery in North Dakota has revealed the first-ever adult T. rex trackway, providing insights into the dinosaur's movement. The trackway, found in the Hell Creek Formation, was identified by a local teacher and is the first of its kind. The tracks, which measure about three feet long and extend roughly 23 feet, were created by an adult T. rex and were scanned using high-resolution 3D surface technology. The study, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, provides the first record of a real T. rex gait. The tracks were measured and 3D models constructed, revealing the dinosaur's stride and movement speed.

The research team, including experts from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Liverpool John Moores University, found that the tracks were made by an adult T. rex, and the stride between the footprints was about 13 feet, with a symmetrical sequence of two left and two right tracks. The team estimates the dinosaur was moving at 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour, similar to a brisk walking pace for a human. The discovery is significant as it offers new evidence about how T. rex moved while alive, complementing the information provided by fossils.

The findings are important for understanding the behavior and movement of T. rex, and the study will continue with the physical removal of three tracks for further analysis. The paper, titled "A Large Tridactyl Trackway from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, Likely Attributable to an Adult Tyrannosaurus Rex," was published on September 8, 2026. The research highlights the value of citizen science in uncovering new information about prehistoric life.

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