Scientists have officially uncovered the first known trackway left behind by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, and it is a massive find for the world of paleontology. This discovery reportedly took place in the rugged badlands of southwestern North Dakota, specifically on the Dakota Prairie Grasslands managed by the US Forest Service in Slope County. The site was actually found in 2025 by Kent Hups, a Northglenn High School teacher and volunteer fossil hunter working with the museum.
As reported by the NY Post, a dedicated team of researchers from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Liverpool John Moores University in England located four connected, large, three-toed footprints that offer a rare glimpse into the life of this iconic predator. These tracks are reportedly dated to approximately 66.5 million years ago.
This places them right at the tail end of the Cretaceous Period, just before the catastrophic asteroid impact that ended the age of the dinosaurs. As Tyler Lyson, the senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, explained, “Bones tell us an enormous amount about these animals, but footprints capture a moment of behavior.”
The prints are preserved as fine-grained sandstone
He added, “With a trackway, we can actually follow an animal as it moved across the landscape. That is incredibly rare for T. rex.” The physical dimensions of the trackway are just as impressive as the history behind them. The entire path reportedly spans about 23 feet in length, and each individual toe measures roughly 3.3 feet long.
By analyzing the spacing between these massive impressions, scientists calculated that the dinosaur had a stride length of about 13 feet. Based on this data, the team determined the T. rex was likely walking at a steady speed of approximately 3.5 to 4.5 mph.
The preservation of these tracks is also quite fascinating from a geological perspective. The prints are reportedly preserved as fine-grained sandstone concretions that were cemented together with calcium carbonate. This substance essentially nucleated around the original footprint depressions, acting like a natural mold that kept the shape intact for millions of years.
Before this breakthrough, finding large theropod tracks in the Hell Creek Formation was quite uncommon. The Hell Creek Formation is a famous division of mostly Upper Cretaceous and some Lower Paleocene rock found throughout North America, and it has long been a hotspot for fossil hunters.
Prior to this, only two isolated adult T. rex footprints had ever been confirmed anywhere in the world, one in New Mexico and one in Montana, and neither showed how the animal was actually moving. To make sure their findings were rock solid, the research team reportedly utilized some impressive modern tech.
When they first arrived at the site, they used 3D scanners to capture the geometry of the tracks in high detail. This allowed the experts to verify their hypothesis with digital precision. Peter Falkingham, a professor of paleobiology at Liverpool John Moores University and the lead author of the study, highlighted how this process changed everything for the team.
He noted, “The technology we’re able to apply in the digital age means my colleagues could scan the tracks in the field and then send the 3D information over to me to visualize on my computer and in VR, enabling me to take as close a look as they did in person.” The team also bolstered their case by identifying T. rex skeletal elements and even full skeletons in the immediate area.
Published: Sep 13, 2026 11:45 am