It seemed like a good idea at the time. The largest flying reptile ever unearthed came from the Big Bend. The scientific name is Quetzalcoatlus northropi and it is a species of Pterosaur, or flying reptile. Pterosaur literally means “flying lizard.” But don’t ever call it a dinosaur. I made that mistake.

Quetzalcoatlus northropi is named after the Aztec winged serpent god and John Northrop, the aviation pioneer who designed the flying wing aircraft in the 1940’s. This creature appeared in the late Cretaceous period, approximately 60 million years ago. They disappeared 65 million years ago with most of the dinosaurs. However, Quetz reappeared in 1971 when Dr. Wann Langston and a team of students from the University of Texas at Austin found several fragments of a wing bone in Big Bend National Park.

Based upon these pieces and the paleontologist’s knowledge of other pterosaurs, Quetz was estimated to have a wing span of at least 50 feet. The Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory at UT-Austin made several casts of the wing, including one for the Museum of the Big Bend.  This cast is mounted from the ceiling in the exhibit space of Lawrence Hall. And thereby hangs the tale.

When we decided to renovate the original museum building and discovered the wonderful roof structure, we thought “why not create a model of the actual animal rather than just the wing?”  From the distance of time that sounded like a great idea. Immediately we realized that we could not do full size, even with the space we had. In discussion with Guy Darrough of Lost World Studio in Saint Louis we determined that a thirty-five foot wing span might fit – with “might” being the operative word.

In the meantime we did the renovation and found a series of truss rods that tension the stone walls that carry the roof structure. We also installed a major grid assembly for exhibit track lighting. Suddenly this large open ceiling did not look so big. The test came on May 18 when the beast arrived for installation. With a great deal of help, much maneuvering and a full day’s labor our Quetz now flies in the museum. And Guy tells us it’s a girl.

Our pterosaur came to us through the generosity of the West Texas Geological Society, headquartered in Midland. I went up to one of their meetings to make the pitch, referring to our model as a flying dinosaur. I was empathetically corrected by one of the members, but explained that I was just a historian and a museum director and my mistake should not be held against me when it came to money. 

I know I am in trouble for this, just like my mistake in calling it a dinosaur around a bunch of geologists, but as I now see it hanging there everyday I cannot help but think of it as Big Bird. Seems appropriate to me since it came from the Big Bend. Come by and suggest a name.

Larry Francell has spent over thirty years in the museum profession, half working for a variety of institutions including the Dallas Museum of Art, and half as a partner in a museum and art services company.  Currently he is director of the Museum of the Big Bend, but prefers porch sitting to work.