Haenamichnus

Haenamichnus is an ichnogenus of probable azhdarchid pterosaurs from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of South Korea. The type and only ichnospecies is H. uhangriensis, representing the largest known trace fossil made by a pterosaur.

Discovery and naming

The excavation of tracksites in the Uhangri Formation was conducted from 1996 to 1998, and 443 pterosaur footprints were found in the upper part of the formation. In 2002, paleontologists Koo-Geun Hwang, Min Huh, Martin Lockley, David Unwin and Joanna Wright named the type ichnospecies Haenamichnus uhangriensis, based on fossil tracks they found in the Uhangri Formation of South Korea. The ichnogeneric name means 'trace of Haenam County', while the ichnospecific name is in reference to the Uhangri Formation. The age of the Uhangri Formation is estimated around 81 to 79 million years ago during the Campanian stage. Some Campanian azhdarchid tracks found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Mexico and the Wapiti Formation of Canada might belong to this ichnogenus.

Formerly assigned ichnospecies

A putative second ichnospecies, H. gainensis, was reported from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Haman Formation, but this ichnotaxon is now reassigned to as the archosaur trace fossil Batrachopus cf. grandis, made by either a bipedal crocodylomorph or therizinosaur.

Classification

The trackmaker of Haenamichnus uhangriensis is probably a large azhdarchid pterosaur, based on large pes print up to 350 mm in length, likely reaching 10 m (33 ft) in wingspan, 3 m (9.8 ft) in height and 145 kg (320 lb) in body mass, more than ten times heavier than the Kori bustard.