A 66.5-million-year-old trackway captures adult T. rex at walking pace
Scientists from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Liverpool John Moores University in England have discovered the first adult T. rex trackway, providing insights into how this emblematic predator moved. The findings are published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Political lean
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Reporting balance
How complete and even-handed the reporting is — separate from which side it leans.
This article provides a straightforward, objective report on a paleontological discovery. It relies on peer-reviewed research and explains the scientific methodology and historical significance of the find without introducing bias or conjecture.
Key Findings
- 1The trackway represents the first described sequence of tracks left by an adult T. rex.
- 2Digital 3D scanning allowed researchers to analyze the tracks without requiring an in-person visit from all team members.
Dimension Breakdown
Relies on academic research from the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and institutional press releases from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
Language is objective, scientific, and descriptive without emotive or loaded political terminology.
Presents specific metrics (stride length, speed, age) as estimated by the research team.
The article focuses on reporting a scientific discovery; no controversial perspectives are applicable.
The headline accurately reflects the content of the scientific study.
Provides sufficient scientific context regarding the significance of the findings.
Missing Perspectives
- None; this is a descriptive report on a scientific finding.
Highlighted Passages
“Bones tell us an enormous amount about these animals, but footprints capture a moment of behavior.”
“The team identified T. rex as the most likely trackmaker based on the footprints' exceptional size and narrow toe shape”
Key Facts
- A 23-foot-long trackway of four three-toed footprints was discovered in North Dakota's Hell Creek Formation.
- The footprints are estimated to be approximately 66.5 million years old.
- The tracks are attributed to an adult T. rex based on size, toe shape, and local fossil abundance.
- The dinosaur is estimated to have been walking at a pace of 3.5 to 4.5 mph.
- The discovery was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology in 2026.
- The site was discovered by Kent M. Hups, a high school teacher.