A NEW species of Pterosaur – a giant, flying, carnivorous reptile – has been discovered in the Australian outback.
Kevin Peterson, who has a deep interest in paleontology, found the bones in 2021 while hunting for gold.
The fossilised remains reveal a “fearsome” reptilian beast with an enormous 15ft wingspan, roughly the height of a giraffe.
It has been classified as Haliskia peterseni, a new genus and species of the anhanguerian pterosaur.
“With a wingspan of approximately 15ft, Haliskia would have been a fearsome predator around 100million years ago when much of central western Queensland was underwater,” Adele Pentland from the Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences who led the research team said in a statement.
Anhanguerians are known to inhabit regions that we now call Brazil, England, Morocco, China, Spain, and the United States.
What were Pterosaurs?
Pterosaurs – often called pterodactyls – were a group of bird-like reptiles that roamed Earth during the Late Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous period.
They were are distinct from archaeopteryx, the early ancestors of birds we know today.
Pterosaurs are known for their diverse sizes and adaptations.
They can range from small, birdlike creatures to massive predators with wingspans more than 32 feet.
The teeth of early pterosaurs suggests they used to feed on insects, before shifting to a diet of meat and fish over several million years.
The discovery of a previously unknown species of pterosaur that thrived 100million years ago has “thrilled” Peterson, who is a curator at the Kronosaurus Korner museum in Richmond, Australia.
“I was checking another fossil and walking back to the car when I noticed bones sticking out of the ground,” Peterson said in a statement.
“This discovery is an exciting boost for science, education, and regional tourism.
“I’m thrilled that my discovery is a new species, as my passion lies in helping shape our modern knowledge of prehistoric species.”
Why did the dinosaurs die out?
Here’s what you need to know…
- The dinosaur wipe-out was a sudden mass extinction event on Earth
- It wiped out roughly three-quarters of our planet’s plant and animal species around 66million years ago
- This event marked the end of the Cretaceous period, and opened the Cenozoic Era, which we’re still in today
- Scientists generally believe that a massive comet or asteroid around 9 miles wide crashed into Earth, devastating the planet
- This impact is said to have sparked a lingering “impact winter”, severely harming plant life and the food chain that relied on it
- More recent research suggests that this impact “ignited” major volcanic activity, which also led to the wiping-out of life
- Some research has suggested that dinosaur numbers were already declining due to climate changes at the time
- But a study published in March 2019 claims that dinosaurs were likely “thriving” before the extinction event