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Scientists have discovered what researchers describe as the first complete trackway attributed to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, offering an unusually detailed glimpse into how one of the most famous predators in Earth’s history moved across the landscape.
The approximately 66.5-million-year-old trackway was found in the Hell Creek Formation in southwestern North Dakota. It consists of four enormous three-toed footprints that preserve a short sequence of steps made by what researchers believe was an adult T. rex.
Unlike isolated dinosaur footprints, a trackway allows scientists to study an animal’s movement. In this case, the preserved sequence provides evidence that the enormous predator was walking rather than running, giving researchers a rare behavioral snapshot from the final part of the Cretaceous Period.
A rare trail from an adult T. rex
The trackway stretches for approximately 23 feet (7 meters) and contains two left and two right footprints. Each print measures about 3 feet (0.9 meters) long, making them consistent with the enormous feet expected from an adult T. rex.
Researchers identified the dinosaur as the most likely trackmaker because of the footprints’ exceptional size and their narrow toe shape. The surrounding area also contains an abundance of T. rex fossils, providing additional evidence supporting the identification.
Scientists had previously identified isolated footprints that were attributed to adult T. rex. However, this discovery is different because the four prints form a continuous sequence that can be followed across the ancient landscape.
That distinction is important because bones primarily reveal anatomy, while footprints can preserve evidence of behavior.
The T. rex was walking at a brisk pace
The arrangement of the footprints allowed researchers to estimate how quickly the animal was moving when it left the trail.
The dinosaur’s stride was approximately 13 feet (4 meters), and scientists estimate that it was traveling between 3.5 and 4.5 miles per hour, or about 5.6 to 7.2 kilometers per hour. That pace is comparable to a brisk human walk.
The researchers emphasize that the speed estimate is approximate because the footprints have been heavily weathered over millions of years.
Even so, the trackway provides valuable information about the locomotion of an adult T. rex. Instead of showing the animal in a dramatic sprint, the preserved evidence captures it moving at a relatively steady walking pace.
Where was the T. rex trackway found?
The discovery was made in 2025 on federal land near Marmarth, North Dakota, in the Hell Creek Formation. The area is particularly important to paleontologists because it contains rocks from the final portion of the Cretaceous Period and has produced numerous dinosaur fossils.
The site was discovered by Kent M. Hups, a high school teacher who later became a co-author of the scientific paper.
Because the footprints are located in a remote area, researchers used high-resolution 3D surface scanning to document them. The technology allowed scientists to create detailed digital models of each footprint and the entire trackway.
The digital data could then be examined remotely, meaning researchers did not necessarily need to be physically present at the site to study the tracks.
Scientists created a digital version of the footprints
The use of 3D scanning played an important role in the investigation.
Researchers scanned the footprints in the field and created digital models that could be viewed on computers and in virtual reality. This allowed specialists to analyze the tracks in considerable detail despite being separated by thousands of miles.
Peter Falkingham, a paleobiology professor at Liverpool John Moores University and the lead author of the study, was able to examine the digital information remotely rather than traveling to the discovery site.
The approach also provides a way to preserve detailed information about the tracks even after the original fossils are removed or the surrounding rock continues to weather.
What will happen to the T. rex footprints?
Researchers plan to recover three of the four footprints from the site this fall. They are expected to be transported by helicopter to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where they will become part of the museum’s collection.
The museum also plans to share updates about the recovery process with visitors during the winter.
The discovery gives scientists an exceptionally rare opportunity to study not just what an adult T. rex looked like, but how it actually moved across the ground.