'Real-Life Dragon'- Fossils of Australia’s Largest Flying Reptile Discovered!

Around 110 million years ago, a huge pterosaur dominated the skies above northeast Australia. It was the biggest pterosaur on the continent, with a wingspan of seven meters and a mouth bristling with sharp fangs. This new discovery is significant, as it gives us additional knowledge of our pterosaur varieties in Australia.

With a spear-like mouth and a wingspan of about seven meters, the new pterosaur, which they named Thapunngaka shawi, was a 23-foot-tall beast. It was simply a skull with a long neck and a pair of large wings attached to it.

"It's the closest thing we have to a real-life dragon."

"This thing would have been quite savage. It would have cast a great shadow over some quivering little dinosaur that wouldn't have heard it until it was too late."

says Paleontologist Tim Richards of the University of Queensland in Australia.

The Largest Flying Reptile

Pterosaur fossils are extremely rare in Australia because of their hollow and brittle bones. Like those of modern birds, they were built for flight, and just a few have survived to the present day. There had been fewer than 20 reports of specimens from the continent, and only three had been described.

Only two Australian pterosaurs, both from Queensland's northeastern region, belonged to the anhanguerian pterosaurs. T. Shawi is Australia's third anhanguerian, born in Queensland.

A fragment of its lower jaw and what we know about other anhanguerian pterosaurs are used to describe it. It was named for the fossicker who discovered it, Len Shaw, and incorporates words from the Wanamara Nation's language, which was spoken in the region at the time.

"The genus name, Thapunngaka, incorporates thapun and ngaka, the Wanamara words for 'spear' and 'mouth', respectively" says Paleontologist Steve Salisbury.

T. Shawi's skull would have been a meter long (3.3 feet), with around 40 teeth, according to the team's model. The beast would have soared over the entire Eromanga Sea, which formerly dominated eastern Australia, and plucked fish from the water with its long, strong mouth.

The researchers discovered a huge bony crest on the bottom of the jaw that was of special interest. According to what we know about anhanguerians, the animal's top jaw had a crest as well.

According to Steve Salisbury, the crests had a part in these species' flight dynamics, and future studies will provide more conclusive explanations.

The researchers calculated the pterosaur's size based on its crest, which they claim is the biggest mandibular crest known from any anhanguerian. T. shawi would be the world's third biggest anhanguerian pterosaur if their estimations were correct.

This indicates that Australian pterosaurs were comparable in size to species from other continents at the time. Furthermore, physical similarities between T. shawi's jawbone and those of other Australian pterosaurs imply that a local pterosaur species evolution around the Eromanga sea may have occurred.

Why are fossils so hard to find?

Any sign of former life preserved in geologic context is referred to as a fossil. They provide a physical link to previous lives, landscapes, and climates. They demonstrate how life, landscapes, and climate have changed over time, as well as how living things have responded.

Since most remnants are eaten or destroyed soon after death, fossils are uncommon. Even if bones are buried, they must be replenished with minerals and must remain buried. If an animal is frozen, like the newborn mammoth was, it must be left alone for many years before being discovered.