The Denver Museum of Nature and Science announced that its scientists played a role in identifying a significant paleontological first: a connected series of footprints left by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex. The initial find was made by one of the museum's volunteers, working at the Hell Creek Formation in the southwestern part of North Dakota.
The trackway spans roughly 23 feet and includes four three-toed prints, each approximately three feet across. Scientists place the age of the prints at more than 66 million years.
What sets this discovery apart is that, while individual T. rex footprints had previously turned up at other sites, no one had ever documented a consecutive series of tracks from the species until now. A linked sequence gives researchers the ability to study movement and stride in ways that a lone, isolated print cannot.
Museum officials said the footprints are expected to go on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science sometime this fall.
The museum has not yet disclosed details about the full research team, the peer-review status of the findings, or when a formal scientific publication might appear.