Paleontologists Uncover First-Ever Adult Tyrannosaurus Rex Trackway in North Dakota
Researchers have identified the first known adult T. rex trackway in North Dakota. Discover how these 66.5-million-year-old footprints reveal dinosaur behavior.
POLICY WIRE — Marmarth, North Dakota — Paleontologists have officially documented the first-ever trackway belonging to a mature Tyrannosaurus rex. The discovery consists of four interconnected footprints unearthed within the badlands of southwestern North Dakota, situated near the Montana state line.
The findings were detailed in a report published this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Prior to this discovery, only two individual adult T. rex footprints had been verified globally—one in Montana and another in New Mexico—neither of which provided insight into the animal’s movement patterns.
Dr. Tyler Lyson, the senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, noted that while bones provide significant data, footprints offer a unique glimpse into actual behavior. He explained that a trackway allows researchers to trace an animal’s path across the landscape, a rare occurrence for the T. rex.
The site was identified in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land by Kent Hups, a high school teacher and amateur fossil enthusiast who was participating in a volunteer dig led by Lyson. Hups remarked that he often encourages his students to embrace curiosity and observation, though he never expected his own efforts to result in such a significant find.
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Spanning approximately 23 feet, the trackway features four three-toed prints, each measuring roughly 3 feet in length. By analyzing the distance between the impressions, scientists estimated the massive predator, which weighed over seven tons, was traveling at a speed of 3.5 to 4.5 mph.
Attribution to the T. rex was based on the dimensions and morphology of the prints, as well as the prevalence of tyrannosaur fossils in the area. This includes the 2022 discovery of a juvenile specimen known as Teen Rex, which was found in the same badlands by three boys during a family hike.
The research team utilized 3D scanning technology to document the site. Peter Falkingham, the lead author from Liverpool John Moores University in England, conducted the data analysis and authored the paper remotely.
Plans are currently underway to airlift three of the four footprints via helicopter this fall for transport to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. These tracks date back approximately 66.5 million years to the final stages of the Cretaceous period, representing one of the last known movements of a T. rex before the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
