PTEROSAUR TRACKS FROM THE LOWER CRETACEOUS PATUXENT FORMATION OF VIRGINIA

Blocks of Patuxent Sandstone, used as cornerstones in Gunston Hall in Fairfax County, Virginia, contain occasional footprints of Lower Cretaceous vertebrate animals. Among these are footprints of a large pterosaur, which is the first reported occurrence of this group of animals in the Lower Cretaceous footprint record of Virginia. A well-preserved wing-finger print and a pes print are recognizable. Both pertain to a pterosaur that had a wingspan of about 25 feet (7.9 m).