A ‘scary dragon’ soaring over the Queensland outback was found by researchers northwest of Richmond
Australia’s largest flying reptile has been uncovered, a pterosaur with an estimated seven-metre wingspan that soared like a dragon above the ancient, vast inland sea once covering much of outback queensland. University of Queensland PhD candidate Tim Richards, from the Dinosaur Lab in UQ’s School of Biological Science s, led a research team that analysed a fossil of the creature’s jaw, discovered on Wanamara Country, near Richmond in North West Queensland. “It’s the closest thing we have to a real life dragon,” Mr Richards said. “The new pterosaur, which we named Thapunngaka shawi, would have been a fearsome beast, with a spear-like mouth and a wingspan around seven metres. “It was essentially just a skull with a long neck, bolted on a pair of long wings. “This thing would have been quite savage. “It would have cast a great shadow over some quivering little dinosaur that wouldn’t have heard it until it was too late.” Mr Richards said the skull alone would ...