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Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory: Collections

Big Bend National Park Collection

Large collections of Cretaceous and Tertiary vertebrates have been made from Big Bend National Park by the VPL under the direction of Dr. John A. Wilson and Dr. Wann Langston, Jr. Under permits from the National Park Service, this work has been ongoing for more than 50 years, and it continues to the present day under the direction of students trained by Drs. Wilson and Langston. Included among the specimens collected from Big Bend National Park is the giant pterosaur Quetzlacoatlus northropi, the largest flying creature ever found, which was discovered in 1971 by then UT graduate student Dr. Douglas Lawson. The VPL also houses significant collections made from the Park by the WPA and by personnel at The University of Texas at El Paso.

 

Dr. Douglas Lawson hold the humerus of the world's largest know flying creature

Dr. Douglas Lawson holds the humerus of the giant pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus northropi, the world's largest known flying creature, which he discovered while working on his Masters thesis under the direction of Dr. Wann Langston, Jr.
 

 


Research | Non-vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory | Texas Natural History Collections | Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory