Dinosaurs may not have been the most graceful creatures, but some of them sure could run! In a study released last week, scientists found that theropod dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex could run as fast as 19 miles an hour. The researchers came to this conclusion after studying 163 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur tracks in a quarry in Oxfordshire, England.
"Dinosaurs could run for short bursts," wrote Julia Day in Nature. The study reveals how dinos were able to speed up from a walk to a run. The lumbering giants walked pigeon-toed with wide steps. But by splaying their toes and putting one foot directly in front of the other, they could break into a fast run. Now that was earth-shaking!