Giant Pterosaur Species Discovered in Australia

A giant pterodactyl once roamed the landmass of what is now Australia. Researchers have discovered the fossilized bones of a previously unknown animal in the state of Queensland, with a wingspan of 4.6 meters.

Scientists have discovered the remains of a giant pterosaur that once roamed what is now Australia. An Australian-Brazilian research team… Trade Journal “Scientific Reports” The animal's wingspan is estimated to be around 4.6 meters.

The 100-million-year-old fossilized bones were unearthed in 2021 in what is known as the Toolebuc Formation in western Queensland state. A team led by Curtin University in Bentley, Western Australia, examined the remains, which included a lower jaw, tip of upper jaw, 43 teeth, vertebrae, ribs, two wing bones and part of a leg. According to the analysis, features of the hyoid apparatus and dentition indicate that the powerful pterosaur, also known as a pterosaur, ate fish and cephalopods.

The new species was given the scientific name Haliskia peterseni. According to the researchers, he belonged to a group called appendages that lived around the world during the Cretaceous period, including present-day Brazil, England, Morocco, China, Spain and the United States. Much of central west Queensland was under water at the time. The region was covered by a large inland sea and was roughly located on the globe where the southern coast of the Australian state of Victoria is today.

dpa/Curtin University (dn)

This topic in the project:MDR Television | March 20, 2024 | 2:11 p.m