Palaeontologists have found the first series of footprints made by an adult Tyrannosaurus rex, offering new clues about how fast the giant predator walked.

The trackway is the first linked sequence of steps attributed to a fully grown T. rex. By measuring the spacing between footprints, scientists can estimate the animal’s stride and, from that, its likely walking speed.

The discovery adds to a growing picture of dinosaur movement. Earlier footprint studies suggested large theropods were efficient walkers rather than constant runners, saving their energy for short bursts.

Researchers say the new tracks will be compared with computer models of the dinosaur’s gait to refine estimates of how it moved through its Cretaceous world.

For a creature known mostly from bones, a trail of footprints is a rare chance to watch it move. Each new trackway helps scientists test how these giants balanced speed, size and energy over millions of years of evolution.