A collection of fossilised bones more than 100 million years old found in Queensland belong to a previously unknown species of ancient flying reptile, new research has revealed.
The bones were unearthed in western Queensland in 2021 by local fossil museum curator Kevin Petersen.
Now, a new study of the bones by Curtin University researchers has determined they belong to a new genus and species of pterosaur - a formidable flying reptile that lived among the dinosaurs.
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Based on the shape of its skull, the arrangement of its teeth and the shape of the shoulder bone, a research team led by PhD student Adele Pentland, from Curtin's School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, identified the specimen as an anhanguerian.
The anhanguerian is a group of pterosaurs known to have lived across the world, including in what is now Brazil, England, Morocco, China, Spain and the United States.
"With a wingspan of approximately 4.6 metres, 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," Pentland said.
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The specimen is 22 per cent complete, making it the most complete specimen of a pterosaur discovered in Australia to date.
"The specimen includes complete lower jaws, the tip of the upper jaw, 43 teeth, vertebrae, ribs, bones from both wings and part of a leg," Pentland said.
"Also present are very thin and delicate throat bones, indicating a muscular tongue, which helped during feeding on fish and cephalopods."
The pterosaur remains are set to go on display at Petersen's museum, the Kronosaurus Korner in north-west Queensland, alongside a number of significant marine fossil specimens.
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Petersen said the discovery was an exciting boost for science, 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," he said.
The research has been published in Scientific Reports - Nature today.
