The “scary dragon” that terrorized Australian skies

A formidable beast with wings spanning 22 feet. A mouth like a spear. The closest thing we’ve seen to an actual dragon.

This is how Tim Richards describes the shawi Thapunngaka, a flying reptile whose fossils he studies at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland. The pterosaur is believed to have flown over the Australian outback before – it’s been hovering over inland seas rather than the desert long enough ago.

“This thing would have been pretty wild,” said Richards, a doctoral student. “It would have cast a large shadow over a small, trembling dinosaur who wouldn’t have heard it until it was too late.”

The name Thapunngaka shawi means ‘the mouth of Shaw’s spear’, the second half being a reference to its discoverer, Len Shaw. The genus name, Thapunngaka, is inspired by the now extinct language of the Wanamara Nation, one of the First Nations peoples of Australia.

Pterosaurs populated the earth only 66 million years ago, before the deadly asteroid explosion ends the dinosaur reign, and 228 million years ago. They stand out for being the first vertebrae creature – that is, a creature with a spine – to take flight. The most famous pterosaur is the pterodactyl, which is why pterosaurs are often mistakenly called pterodactyls.

Scientists still have a lot to learn about ancient creatures. Research published in the journal iScience in April showed that the secret to pterosaur physiology was its neck, longer than that of a giraffe and ingeniously arranged by Mother Nature to support their heavy heads during flight. Research published last month suggests that many pterosaurs were able to fly by the time they hatched from their eggs.

To enable flight, pterodactyls often have thinner and more brittle bones than other dinosaurs. This makes well-preserved fossils like the one Richards is studying rare. Based on the jawbone fossils studied, Richards estimates that the skull alone would span 3.2 feet and contain 40 (terrifying) teeth.

“By global standards, the Australian pterosaur record is poor, but Thapunngaka’s discovery contributes greatly to our understanding of the diversity of Australian pterosaurs.”