Rare T. Rex Footprints Found, Marking Historic Discovery

WHO:

ABC News - Kent Hups, a high school science teacher and research associate at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, discovered the T. Rex footprints.

ABC News - Tyler Lyson, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, provided insights on the significance of the discovery.

WHAT:

ABC News - Hups discovered four T. Rex footprints, each about 3 feet long, on a 23-foot trackway.

ABC News - This is the first time scientists have discovered a T. Rex trackway, providing insight into the dinosaur's movement.

ABC News - The tracks are estimated to be about 66.5 million years old.

Fox News - The T. Rex trackway stretches over 23 feet and reveals how the predator walked.

WHERE:

ABC News - The footprints were found in the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota, which is federal land administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

WHEN:

ABC News - Findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on September 8.

WHY:

ABC News - Researchers identified a T. Rex as the most likely trackmaker due to the footprints' large size, narrow toes, and the abundance of T. Rex fossils in the area.

HOW:

ABC News - Scientists used high-resolution 3D surface scanning to create physical reproductions of the tracks for detailed examination.

ABC News - The footprints were found about 13 feet apart, allowing researchers to estimate the T. Rex's speed at about 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour.

(UPDATED September 17, 2026 02:13 UTC)

A high school science teacher named Kent Hups has made a groundbreaking discovery of four T. Rex footprints, each approximately three feet long, on a 23-foot trackway in the Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota. This marks the first time scientists have uncovered a T. Rex trackway, providing valuable insights into how this massive predator moved, with estimates suggesting it walked at a speed of about 3.5 to 4.5 miles per hour. Tyler Lyson, a senior curator at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, highlighted the significance of this find, noting that the footprints are around 66.5 million years old and were created by a T. Rex, as indicated by their large size and the prevalence of T. Rex fossils in the area.