The dinosaur’s stride was approximately 13 feet (4 meters), and scientists estimate that it was traveling between 3.5 and 4.5 miles per hour, or about 5.6 to 7.2 kilometers per hour. That pace is comparable to a brisk human walk.
The researchers emphasize that the speed estimate is approximate because the footprints have been heavily weathered over millions of years.
Even so, the trackway provides valuable information about the locomotion of an adult T. rex. Instead of showing the animal in a dramatic sprint, the preserved evidence captures it moving at a relatively steady walking pace.
Where was the T. rex trackway found?
The discovery was made in 2025 on federal land near Marmarth, North Dakota, in the Hell Creek Formation. The area is particularly important to paleontologists because it contains rocks from the final portion of the Cretaceous Period and has produced numerous dinosaur fossils.
The site was discovered by Kent M. Hups, a high school teacher who later became a co-author of the scientific paper.
Because the footprints are located in a remote area, researchers used high-resolution 3D surface scanning to document them. The technology allowed scientists to create detailed digital models of each footprint and the entire trackway.
The digital data could then be examined remotely, meaning researchers did not necessarily need to be physically present at the site to study the tracks.
Scientists created a digital version of the footprints
The use of 3D scanning played an important role in the investigation.
Researchers scanned the footprints in the field and created digital models that could be viewed on computers and in virtual reality. This allowed specialists to analyze the tracks in considerable detail despite being separated by thousands of miles.
