A hundred million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, much of northeastern Australia was underwater. The Eromanga Inland Sea was home to countless sea creatures, from turtles and dolphin-like ichthyosaurs to bus-sized predators. Kronosaurus queenslandicus and other plesiosaurs.
The forested edges of the sea were home to dinosaurs and the sky above was full of birds. But all of them would be eclipsed by the largest flying creatures of the time – the pterosaurs.
In November 2021, an avocado farmer turned museum curator named Kevin Petersen discovered a fossilized skeleton near Richmond, Queensland. A previously unknown species has emerged as the most complete pterosaur fossil found in Australia. It makes up about 22% of the animal’s skeleton with a wingspan of about 4.6 meters.
My colleagues and I have now described the fossil in the journal Scientific Reports. It represents a new species of pterosaur and we named it Haliskia peterseniwhich means Petersen’s Phantom of the Sea.
Pterosaur fossils are rare
Pterosaur fossils have been found on all continents. However, they are much less common than fossils of dinosaurs or ancient marine reptiles.
Pterosaurs had hollow, thin-walled bones. It was a great evolutionary adaptation to life in the air, but light skeletons are not easily fossilized.
Few complete pterosaur skeletons are known worldwide, and most come from a handful of sites with unusually good fossil preservation conditions. When pterosaur bones have been found in other places, they are often crushed and deformed.
As a result, many pterosaur fossils are one-of-a-kind. These include the oldest flying reptile fossils ever found in Australia.
What the skeleton tells us about how Galicia he lived
The newly described fossil is only the second partial pterosaur skeleton ever found in Australia. It preserves twice as much bone as Ferrodraco lentoni.
Galicia preserves a complete lower jaw, tip of the upper jaw, 43 teeth, vertebrae, ribs, bones from both wings and a partial leg. Also preserved are the delicate, spaghetti-thin hyoid bones that would help support a strong, muscular tongue.
Adele Pentland
We can say that Galicia she was fully grown when she died because her humerus and other bones in the skeleton had fused.
Almost all pterosaur fossils described from Australia (incl Galiciacontemporaries Mythunga camara, Aussiedraco molnari and Thapungaka shawi) were placed in the same family. These species, collectively known as Anhangueria, have long been considered fish eaters.
Although fish fossils are often found in rocks laid down in the Eromanga Sea, even more common are squid-like cephalopods called belemnites. Based GaliciaWith long zygomatic bones and conical, interlocking teeth, it would eat a diet of fish and squid.
A labor of love
The Galicia The specimen was prepared by fossil enthusiast Kevin Petersen using a combination of pneumatic tools, the paleontological equivalent of a dental drill, and a hand-operated metal pin. Pterosaur bones are flattened, and although one surface has been exposed, they remain encased in rock to provide stability and support for the fossil.
Kevin spent many hours preparing the pterosaur fossil. However, when we asked if he would like to join the team of researchers studying this specimen, he politely declined, stating that he was happy to simply be recognized for his efforts.
Crocosaurus Korner
Without Kevin, this specimen would not be on public display or known to science. It seemed only fitting that this new species Haliskia peterseni to be named in honor of its discoverer.
More fossils to find
This wasn’t the first pterosaur fossil Kevin had found. He had discovered his first flying reptile fossil a few years earlier when he visited Richmond, Queensland as a tourist.
Since discovery Galicia In 2021, even more pterosaur fossils were found in public pits outside of Richmond.
Kevin is proof that you don’t need a degree to make a significant contribution to science and the field of paleontology. It takes dedication and determination – and it helps to be in the right place at the right time.
Visualizing pterosaurs at sea hunting fish and squid-like creatures alongside massive marine reptiles millions of years ago, in today’s arid Australian outback, takes some imagination. But the process is easier with the fossils in front of you.
Galicia it provides an exciting glimpse into an ancient ecosystem and provides hope that we might find more complete skeletons of these winged reptiles.