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High school science teacher discovers rare T. Rex tracks: 'A real pivotal moment'
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos • • science
Key Points:
- Kent Hups, a high school science teacher and research associate, discovered four giant three-toed footprints in North Dakota last year, which researchers identified as the first-ever T. Rex trackway.
- The 23-foot trackway, with footprints about 3 feet long and spaced 13 feet apart, is estimated to be 66.5 million years old and suggests the T. Rex was moving at a walking pace of 3.5 to 4.5 mph.
- The footprints were found in the Hell Creek Formation, a fossil-rich federal land area managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and were identified as T. Rex tracks due to their size, shape, and local fossil abundance.
- Researchers used high-resolution 3D surface scanning to create detailed reproductions of the tracks, providing rare behavioral insights into how T. Rex moved across the landscape.
- Hups has shared the discovery with his students, emphasizing the importance of exploration and hands-on learning in science.
