A high school teacher recently discovered what is believed to be the first known trackway made by an adult T. rex in North Dakota. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science reports that the trackway is approximately 23 feet long and contains four three-toed footprints, each about 3 feet long, dating back around 66.5 million years.
Kent Hups, a science teacher and museum volunteer, found the first footprint in 2025 during a fossil dig near Marmarth, North Dakota, in the Hell Creek Formation. The discovery has been documented in a study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, which suggests that T. rex is the likely maker due to the size and characteristics of the footprints and previous fossil finds in the area.
The two left and two right footprints are spaced about 13 feet apart, leading researchers to estimate that the dinosaur was walking at a speed of around 3.5 to 4.5 mph, likened to a brisk human walking pace. High-resolution 3D scans of the site have also been conducted to study the footprints digitally.
Three of the footprints will be helicoptered to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for further preparation and research, with updates planned for the public this winter. Researchers believe more tracks may be hidden beneath the hillside.
