Scientists have identified what is being described as the first known trackway made by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, found in the badlands of North Dakota. Yahoo News Canada reports that the discovery marks the first time footprints from a fully grown member of the species have been documented as a trackway.
The site dates back roughly 66.5 million years, according to Fox Weather. Phys.org reports that the trackway preserves the animal moving at a walking pace rather than at a run.
The finding was covered by multiple outlets, including CBS News, The Guardian and Phys.org, all describing it as the first such trackway attributed to an adult T. rex. The Guardian characterized the discovery as a single giant step forward in the fossil record, while CBS News placed the site in the North Dakota badlands.
A trackway is a series of connected footprints, which can offer researchers information that isolated prints cannot, such as the direction and rhythm of an animal's movement. In this case, the reported walking pace suggests the tracks record ordinary travel rather than a chase or escape.
The reports did not include details on the exact number of prints, the identity of the researchers or the institution behind the work, and no full study text was available in the source material.
Further reporting is expected to clarify who conducted the research and where the findings will be published.
