North Dakota T. rex trackway discovery reveals predator movement

Paleontologists have discovered the first known trackway of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex in the Hell Creek Formation of southwestern North Dakota. The fossilized sequence consists of four large, three-toed footprints, each approximately 1 meter (3.3 feet) in length, spanning a total distance of roughly 7 meters (23 feet).

Unlike skeletal remains, which provide data on anatomy and bite force, this trackway offers rare insights into the movement and behavior of the predator. Researchers estimated the animal was walking at a speed of approximately 1.5 meters per second, based on a stride of roughly 4 meters (13 feet) between prints. The discovery was made on federal land managed by the U.S. Forest Service near Marmarth.

The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, was led by Peter L. Falkingham of Liverpool John Moores University and a team from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. While isolated adult T. rex footprints have been found in New Mexico and Montana, this represents the first time a continuous sequence of prints from a fully grown individual has been documented.