Overview
- A sequence of at least four three-toed prints more than 23 feet long was found in the Hell Creek Formation in 2025 after volunteer Kent M. Hups spotted the first impression and field teams later uncovered a fifth track.
- Researchers say the prints are most likely from an adult Tyrannosaurus rex because each print is over three feet long, the toes are unusually narrow, and T. rex bones are common in the surrounding Hell Creek deposits, though the ID is reported as probabilistic due to weathering.
- Teams documented the site with high-resolution 3D surface scans that allowed remote analysis by specialists and then produced three calcite-cemented casts that preserve fragile details for off-site study.
- The four measured prints show an approximate 13-foot stride and yield a walking speed estimate of about 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour; crews plan an October helicopter airlift of the casts to Denver for cleaning, analysis and a close search for skin or foot-pad impressions.
- Trackways capture motion and surface anatomy that bones cannot, so the find could change how scientists reconstruct T. rex foot structure and gait, and researchers say further excavation of the site may reveal additional tracks while the discovery gives the volunteer finder and his students a direct link to active science.