Teacher Finds First Adult T. Rex Trackway
A Northglenn high school teacher discovered the first known series of adult Tyrannosaurus rex footprints in North Dakota's Badlands.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Hiking
Kent Hups, a teacher at Northglenn High School, discovered the first known adult Tyrannosaurus rex trackway during the summer of 2025 in the Badlands of North Dakota. The fossils were unveiled at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Why it matters
A trackway of at least three footprints from one animal offers direct evidence of how the animal moved across its environment. The discovery adds to the scientific record of adult T. rex behavior, which is documented far less often than juvenile specimens.
The discovery comprises five footprints total, with the first three extracted and flown by helicopter to the museum. The estimated hip height of the animal is 13 feet and its walking speed about 4 mph, based on the trackway's spacing and orientation.
The players
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
A major natural history museum in Denver, Colorado, which serves as the permanent home and unveiling site for the fossils.
Kent Hups
A teacher at Northglenn High School who discovered the Tyrannosaurus rex trackway while exploring the Badlands of North Dakota.
The details
Hups identified the first track by its size and three-toed structure, then spotted a second track several feet away, and a third confirmed the trackway. The first three footprints were extracted and packed in plaster fossil jackets before being flown to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, where scientists created a 3-D model to record the footprints' orientation and spacing.
Timeline
Summer 2025: Hups discovers the trackway in the Badlands of North Dakota.
A few weeks before unveiling: The first three fossil tracks are flown by helicopter to the museum.
Last week: The fossil print is unveiled in a public ceremony at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Through the end of the year: The fossils remain on display at the museum.
Roadmap
Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison, Colorado, was co-founded by paleontologist Martin Lockley to study and display dinosaur trackways. This discovery in North Dakota extends that regional research tradition to the adult T. rex record.
Readers interested in fossil hunting or dinosaur trackways can view the fossils on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science through the end of the year. The discovery underscores that significant fossils can be found by people hiking and exploring public lands in the Badlands.
The takeaway
Trackways record animal behavior that bones alone cannot, so careful observation during outdoor exploration can reveal important scientific finds. Visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science can see the fossils firsthand before the display closes at year's end.
Further reading
Explore more outdoor adventures in our Hiking section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Colorado Public Radio.
