Fossils of ‘sea phantom’ unearthed in Australia

Scientists have discovered the fossils of Haliskia peterseni, a formidable pterosaur (flying reptile), in the Australian state of Queensland.

Haliskia, meaning “sea phantom”, boasted a bony crest at the tip of its upper and lower jaws and a mouthful of spike-shaped teeth ideal for snaring fish and other marine prey, and soared above the now-vanished Eromanga Sea. It had a wingspan of 15 feet and lived about 100 million years ago.

22% of Haliskia’s skeleton was unearthed, with complete lower jaws, the tip of the upper jaw, throat bones, 43 teeth, vertebrae, ribs, bones from both wings and part of one leg.

Pterosaurs were the first of three vertebrate groups to achieve powered flight, appearing about 230 million years ago. They were wiped out in the same mass extinction event as the dinosaurs, 66 million years ago, following an asteroid strike.