Thapunngaka
Thapunngaka was a huge flying reptile that soared over the seas of ancient Australia. It had a long, pointed beak with a big crest on its chin, perfect for scooping up fish. It was one of the biggest flying animals of its time!1
Wanneer het dit geleef?
Hoe groot was dit?
Hoe wyd was sy vlerke?
vlerke so wyd soos 2 motors in 'n ry⚽kon in 4,3 sekondes oor 'n hele sokkerveld vliegHoe groot was Thapunngaka vergeleke met JOU?
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Hoe vinnig was dit?
Prettige feite
Thapunngaka is the largest pterosaur ever found in Australia, based on the size of its jaw bone.1
It had the biggest chin crest of any pterosaur in its family, which might have been used for show or steering.1
Its name means 'spear mouth' in the language of the local Aboriginal people, because its jaws were shaped like a spear.1
Thapunngaka lived about 106 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period, when Australia was part of the supercontinent Gondwana.4
Scientists think Thapunngaka was a fast flyer, using its long wings to glide over the ocean and snatch fish with its beak.4

Mees gevraagde vrae oor Thapunngaka
?How big was Thapunngaka?
Its wingspan was probably about 6 to 7 metres (20 to 23 feet), though estimates range from 5.83 to 9.47 metres (19.1 to 31.1 feet).23
?What did Thapunngaka eat?
It ate fish. Its long, spear-like jaws were perfect for scooping up large predatory fish from the ancient Eromanga Sea.3
?Is Thapunngaka a dinosaur?
No, it is a pterosaur, a flying reptile that lived during the time of dinosaurs. Pterosaurs were the first back-boned animals to fly.3
Mite-breker
Mite: Some people think Thapunngaka was a dinosaur.
Waarheid: It was actually a pterosaur, a flying reptile that is a close cousin of dinosaurs, but not a dinosaur itself.1
Vir dino-kenners
- Wetenskaplike naam
- Thapunngaka
- Benoem deur
- Richards et al. 20214
- Groep
- Vlieënde reptiele
- Familie / klade
- Anhangueridae4
- Klassifikasie
- Pterosauria > Pterodactyloidea4
- Ouderdom van die rotse
- 113 tot 100 miljoen jaar (Albian)4
- Rotsformasies
- Toolebuc4
- Lande
- Australië4
- Fossielrekords
- 2 in The Paleobiology Database4
- Ontdekking
- Thapunngaka was named in 2021 by Timothy Richards and colleagues from a fossil jaw found near Richmond, Queensland, Australia. The fossil was discovered in the Toolebuc Formation, which is famous for ancient marine life.1
- Steeds omstrede
- Scientists are still debating how big Thapunngaka really was, because only its lower jaw has been found so far. They use the jaw size to estimate its total size, but the exact numbers are not known.1
Waar die feite vandaan kom
- A new species of crested pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) from the Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) of Richmond, North West Queensland, Australia: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol 41 , No 3 - Get Access (tandfonline.com)
- Thapunngaka (en.wikipedia.org)
- Researchers find a ‘fearsome dragon’ that soared over outback Queensland - News - The University of Queensland (news.uq.edu.au)
- Thapunngaka in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): ouderdom, plekke, rotsformasies, klassifikasie.
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