First adult T. rex footpath discovered in North Dakota
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Paleontologists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Liverpool John Moores University in England discovered a trackway made by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex in southwestern North Dakota.
The team found four footprints preserved along a 23-foot path within the Hell Creek Formation, a geological formation known for dinosaur fossils. This marks the first time scientists have documented a trackway created by an adult T. rex.
The footprints, estimated to be 66.5 million years old, each measure approximately three feet in length and feature the dinosaur’s characteristic narrow toes. Researchers used 3D scanning technology to image and analyze the prints, as well as create physical copies for study. Analysis of the trackway suggests the T. rex was walking at a leisurely pace of 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour, similar to a brisk human walk, and had a stride of about 13 feet.
The paleontologists acknowledge that estimating the dinosaur's speed is speculative due to the weathering of the tracks. They plan to excavate three of the four footprints later this year and transport them to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for further research and display.
