New pterosaur species with huge tongue discovered in Australia

An avocado farmer and amateur paleontologist in Australia has unearthed a remarkably well-preserved fossil that scientists have identified as a new species of pterosaur. This flying reptile, which lived alongside dinosaurs over 100 million years ago, paints a vivid image of the prehistoric creatures that soared through the skies of what is now Australia.

A Glimpse into Prehistoric Australia

The new pterosaur, named Haliskia peterseni, had a wingspan of approximately 4.6 meters and was a fearsome predator during the Cretaceous period. At that time, a vast inland sea covered much of central western Queensland where the fossils were found.

The pterosaur had a crest on its beak and curved teeth. However, its true claim to fame is its unusual tongue — the largest and most muscular of all pterosaurs.

Haliskia likely hunted fish and squid-like cephalopods in this ancient inland sea, perhaps akin to a pelican, swallowing prey whole. However, Haliskia faced threats from even larger marine reptiles. For example, the mighty and fearsome Kronosaurus, whose skull measured a staggering 2.4 meters (7.9 feet) in length, was native to the area.

“Haliskia peterseni would have been a fearsome predator around 100 million years ago,” said Adele Pentland, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. candidate at Curtin University.

The discovery of Haliskia sheds light on the pterosaur diversity in Australia. Previously, fewer than 25 sets of pterosaur remains had been found in the country compared to over 100 in South America.

The credit for this exciting discovery goes to Kevin Petersen, an avocado farmer and curator at the Kronosaurus Korner Museum. His excavation of the remains and passion for paleontology have contributed significantly to our understanding of prehistoric Australia.

A Notable Pterosaur Fossil

With its complete lower jaws, teeth, vertebrae, ribs, and wing bones, Haliskia is the most complete pterosaur specimen (about a quarter of the skeleton) ever found in Australia. The most impressive feature is its fragile throat bones, each only a few millimeters in diameter. The pterosaur fossil will now be on display at the Kronosaurus Korner Museum.

“Also present are very thin and delicate throat bones, indicating a muscular tongue, which helped during feeding on fish and cephalopods,” Pentland said.

This discovery adds to a growing body of evidence about pterosaurs in Australia. The new study places Haliskia among Anhangueria, a group of pterosaurs known to have lived across the world, including Brazil, China, Spain, and the United States. In May 2023, another study led by Pentland identified pterosaur fossils dating back 107 million years ago. These findings suggest that pterosaurs inhabited Australia much earlier than previously thought.

Future research by Pentland will focus on analyzing new fossil material and collaborating with other paleontologists to continue piecing together the puzzle of prehistoric Australia’s aerial inhabitants.

“The cosmopolitan nature of anhanguerian pterosaurs, particularly their success across Gondwana (e.g. in the Eromanga and Araripe basins), might have been enabled by niche partitioning within this clade,” the paleontologists said.

“However, better temporal constraints will be needed at multiple localities to rigorously test this hypothesis.”

The new pterosaur was described in a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.