First Tyrannosaurus rex trackway identified in North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation

A high school science teacher who also works as a research associate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science reported finding four large three-toed footprints in North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation last year. The prints, each about three feet long and spaced roughly 13 feet apart, form a 23-foot trackway that researchers have identified as belonging to a Tyrannosaurus rex. The discovery, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on Sept. 8, represents the first confirmed T. rex trackway, providing direct evidence of the animal's movement patterns.

Scientists dated the tracks to approximately 66.5 million years ago and estimated the dinosaur was traveling at a speed of 3.5 to 4.5 mph, comparable to a brisk human walk. The identification was based on the footprints' size, narrow toe configuration, and the prevalence of T. rex fossils in the surrounding area.

Senior curator of vertebrate paleontology Tyler Lyson said, "Bones tell us an enormous amount about these animals, but footprints capture a moment of behavior. With a trackway, we can actually follow an animal as it moved across the landscape. That is incredibly rare for T. rex."

The museum used high-resolution 3D surface scanning to produce detailed replicas of the tracks for further study. The discoverer has shared the find with his geology students and paleontology club, emphasizing the value of field exploration.