First Adult T. Rex Trackway Found in North Dakota Badlands

Paleontologists have unearthed the first known trackway belonging to a fully grown Tyrannosaurus rex in the badlands of southwestern North Dakota. The discovery, comprising four interconnected footprints, was detailed this week in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and provides unprecedented insight into the locomotion of the apex predator.

Prior to this find, only two individual adult T. rex footprints had been officially confirmed globally, one in New Mexico and another in Montana. These solitary prints offered no information about the dinosaur's gait or how it moved across the ancient landscape. "Bones tell us an enormous amount about these animals, but footprints capture a moment of behavior," stated Dr. Tyler Lyson, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. "With a trackway, we can actually follow an animal as it moved across the landscape. That is incredibly rare for T. rex."

The significant discovery was made in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land near Marmarth, North Dakota, by Kent Hups, a high school teacher and amateur paleontologist volunteering on one of Dr. Lyson's expeditions. "As a teacher, I’m always telling my students that science starts with curiosity, passion and careful observation," Hups said. "I never imagined that could lead me to a discovery like this."

Unveiling Ancient Movement

The trackway stretches approximately 23 feet and consists of four distinct three-toed prints, each measuring around 3 feet in length. Analysis of the spacing between these prints allowed researchers to estimate the dinosaur's walking speed at between 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour. This is a remarkable speed for an animal estimated to weigh over seven tons. The footprints' size and shape, coupled with the geological context—the area has yielded numerous tyrannosaur fossils, including a juvenile specimen dubbed "Teen Rex" found in 2022—led researchers to confidently attribute the trackway to an adult T. rex.

The geological site offers a rare window into the late Cretaceous period, approximately 66.5 million years ago. This era was near the very end of the age of dinosaurs, preceding the catastrophic asteroid impact that scientists believe led to their mass extinction. The discovery places these tracks among some of the final movements of a T. rex on Earth.

Researchers from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science utilized 3D scanning technology to meticulously document the site. The complex data analysis was subsequently performed by lead author Peter Falkingham of Liverpool John Moores University in England, who authored the research paper without needing to visit the North Dakota location himself. This technological approach highlights modern advancements in paleontological research.

Plans are underway to carefully airlift three of the four footprints via helicopter this autumn. They are destined for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where they will be preserved and potentially put on display, offering the public a tangible connection to Earth's ancient past and the majestic creatures that once roamed its surface.