Paleontologists Discover First Adult T. rex Trackway in North Dakota, Revealing Movement Insights
Paleontologists have identified what is believed to be the first trackway directly linked to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex in North Dakota. This discovery, consisting of a set of four footprints spanning approximately 7 meters (23 feet) across a hillside, provides rare physical evidence of how the massive predator moved millions of years ago. The findings, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, were led by Peter L. Falkingham of Liverpool John Moores University. The tracks, each roughly 1 meter (3.3 feet) long, were found in the Hell Creek Formation near Marmarth and are estimated to be about 66.5 million years old, shortly before the mass extinction event that ended the dinosaur era. The footprints were preserved within hardened sandstone formations, allowing them to survive the erosion of surrounding softer ground. Despite being worn and fractured, their size and three-toed shape strongly indicate a large tyrannosaur, with T. rex bones frequently found in the same region, making it the most pr...
