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Scientists Find First Adult T. Rex Trackway – And The Footprints Are Human-Sized : ScienceAlert (opens in a new tab)

Scientists Find First Adult T. Rex Trackway – And The Footprints Are Human-Sized · 2026-09-14

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The story

Scientists Find First Adult T. Rex Trackway – And The Footprints Are Human-Sized : ScienceAlert

Scientists Find First Adult T. Rex Trackway – And The Footprints Are Human-Sized · 2026-09-14

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The source study

A large tridactyl trackway from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, likely attributable to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology · 2026
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Source paper

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The 2 papers the story cites

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  • The study this story reportspresented as the new finding

    A large tridactyl trackway from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, likely attributable to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex

    Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology · 2026

    Publisher (opens in a new tab)
  • Cited as backgroundpresented as earlier work

    A ‘Terror of Tyrannosaurs’: The First Trackways of Tyrannosaurids and Evidence of Gregariousness and Pathology in Tyrannosauridae

    PLoS ONE · 2014

    PubMed (opens in a new tab)Full Tessa analysis (opens in a new tab)
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The source study was found, but the study's evidence could not be profiled, so these claims couldn't be checked.

Claim 1 of 5Not checkedResearchers have reported what the article calls the first and only known footpath made by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, preserved as a series of footprints in North Dakota.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedfirst and only known footpath

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The source study was found, but this claim couldn't be checked against it.

Claim 2 of 5Not checkedThe trackway is described as about 7 meters long and preserves four footprints, each about 1 meter long and up to 0.80 meters wide.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedabout 7 meters long; four footprints; each about 1 meter long and up to 0.80 meters wide

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The source study was found, but this claim couldn't be checked against it.

Claim 3 of 5Not checkedUsing the track separation and footprint features, the researchers estimated an average stride length of about 4 meters and a walking speed of 1.5 to 2 meters per second.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedabout 4 meters stride length; 1.5 to 2 meters per second

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The source study was found, but this claim couldn't be checked against it.

Claim 4 of 5Not checkedBased on the age, locality, and physical features of the tracks, the researchers say an adult Tyrannosaurus rex is the most likely trackmaker.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedmost likely trackmaker

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The source study was found, but this claim couldn't be checked against it.

Claim 5 of 5Not checkedThe article says the research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and notes a prior PLOS One study that described three concurrent tracks from smaller tyrannosaurids.View evidenceHide evidence

As statedprior paper published in 2014; three concurrent tracks

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A large tridactyl trackway from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, likely attributable to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology · 2026

Source record (opens in a new tab)

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Papers considered

The selected paper, plus nearby candidates.

Crossref, PubMed · 16 candidate papers

Selected

A large tridactyl trackway from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of North Dakota, likely attributable to an adult Tyrannosaurus rex

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology · 2026 · Crossref

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And 10 more candidates considered.