Nanochameleon, the smallest reptile in the world?
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(CNN) -
There was once a terrifying species of "dragon" that flew over Australia 105 million years ago, according to new research.
The fossil of a pterosaur with a wingspan of almost 7 meters belonged to the largest flying reptile in Australia.
A study on these findings was published Monday in the
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The pterosaur likely rose above a large inland sea that once covered much of inland Queensland, known as the Eromanga Inland Sea.
Its lance-shaped mouth was perfect for pulling fish out of the sea.
Researchers, including Tim Richards, a University of Queensland postdoctoral student in the Dinosaur Laboratory of the College of Biological Sciences, analyzed a pterosaur jaw fossil.
It was originally discovered in a quarry northwest of Richmond in northwest Queensland in June 2011 by fossil hunter Len Shaw.
Fossil hunters look for gold and fossils.
Richards said that the pterosaur would have been a "fearsome beast" that probably ate young dinosaurs.
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"It's the closest thing we have to a real-life dragon," Richards, also the study's lead author, said in a statement.
"It was essentially just a skull with a long neck, screwed into a pair of long wings. This thing would have been pretty wild. It would have cast a big shadow on some trembling little dinosaur who wouldn't have heard it until it was too late."
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The name of the new species, Thapunngaka shawi, is a nod to the First Nations peoples of the Richmond area where the fossil was found and includes some of the lost language of the Wanamara nation.
"The genus name, Thapunngaka, incorporates thapun [ta-boon] and ngaka [nga-ga], the Wanamara words for 'spear' and 'mouth,' respectively," said Steve Salisbury, study co-author and senior professor of the University of Queensland College of Biological Sciences, in a statement.
"The species name, shawi, honors the discoverer of the fossil Len Shaw, which is why the name means 'mouth of Shaw's spear.'
Tim Richards is pictured with the skull of an Anhanguerian pterosaur.
The researchers were intrigued by a huge bony ridge located on the lower jaw of the new species and believe that there is probably one on the upper jaw as well.
"In a semicircular shape, it would have looked like a half (13 cm radius) plate on its side," Richards said.
"These ridges likely played a role in the flight dynamics of these creatures, and hopefully future research will provide more definitive answers," Salisbury said.
The entire skull probably measured over 3.2 feet (1 meter) and contained 40 teeth.
The newly discovered species was part of a group of pterosaurs called Anhanguerians.
These pterosaurs once flew over all continents.
"Pterosaurs were a diverse and successful group of reptiles, the first animals with back bones to attempt flight," Richards said.
Their thin-walled bones were largely hollow, meaning that pterosaurs were perfectly adapted to flight, but their bones were not well preserved in the fossil record.
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"It is quite surprising that fossils of these animals exist," Richards said.
"By world standards, the Australian pterosaur record is poor, but the Thapunngaka discovery contributes greatly to our understanding of Australian pterosaur diversity."
Richards plans to study the specific characteristics of pterosaurs' flight dynamics.
This discovery marks the third Anhanguerian pterosaur species to be found in Australia.
All of them have been recovered in West Queensland.
The fossil is on display at the Kronosaurus Korner museum in Richmond.
DragonsPaleontology
