(CN) — Pterosaur fossils are relatively rare. Fossils that contain more than mere fragments of their thin, fragile bones are even rarer. That makes the discovery of a 100 million-year-old pterosaur fossil in western Queensland remarkable. Moreover, the creature belongs to a previously undiscovered genus and species of pterosaur, according to a study published on Wednesday in Scientific Reports/Springer Nature.
The new species is called Haliskia peterseni, named after Kronosaurus Korner museum curator Kevin Petersen, who discovered the fossil in November 2021. The fossil, which was nicknamed “the crash site” following its discovery, is the oldest pterosaur fossil ever discovered on the Australian continent.
“With a wingspan of approximately 4.6 meters (15 feet), Haliskia would have been a fearsome predator around 100 million years ago when much of central western Queensland was underwater, covered by a vast inland sea and globally positioned about where Victoria’s southern coastline is today,” said Adele Pentland, a doctoral student at Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
Pentland led the team that studied Petersen’s specimen. Based on its skull, teeth and shoulder bone, the team determined that Haliskia was an anhanguerian. Known for their impressive wingspans and fish-catching prowess, anhanguerians were a diverse group of pterosaurs that thrived during the Cretaceous period whose fossils have been found in Brazil, England, Morocco, China, Spain and the U.S.
“Careful preparation by Mr. Petersen has provided the remains of the most complete specimen of an anhanguerian, and of any pterosaur, discovered in Australia to date,” Pentland said. “Haliskia is 22 percent complete, making it more than twice as complete as the only other known partial pterosaur skeleton found in Australia.”
The fossil includes bones from both wings and part of a leg, allowing the researchers to accurately determine the creature's size. It also includes ribs, vertebrae, the complete complete lower jaws, and the tip of the upper jaws.
Even some thin throat bones remain, which Pentland said is a sign that Haliskia had “a muscular tongue, which helped during feeding on fish and cephalopods.”
Haliskia was found in the Toolebuc Formation, which was formed by a sudden rise in sea level that flooded the area. The area was partially cut off from the sea and had low oxygen levels, creating perfect conditions to create fossils. Fossils of pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs, turtles and sharks have been found in the Toolebuc Formation since the first fossils were discovered in the area in 1935.
According to Petersen, this discovery is not just a boon for the scientific community but also for education and regional tourism.
“I’m thrilled that my discovery is a new species, as my passion lies in helping shape our modern knowledge of prehistoric species,” Petersen said.
The Haliskia peterseni fossil is on display at Kronosaurus Korner alongside other fossils from the area. This includes the museum’s namesake, Kronosaurus queenslandicus, a marine reptile that is at least 30-feet long and boasts a 2.4-meter skull.
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