Name: Mythunga
(Star hunter of the skies).
Phonetic: My-thun-ga.
Named By: Ralph Molnar & Richard A. Thulborn
-
2008.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Pterosauria,
Pterodactyloidea, Ornithocheiridae, Ornithocheirinae..
Species: M. camara (type).
Type: Piscivore.
Size: Uncertain due to lack of remains, but
estimated wingspan between 4 and 6 meters.
Known locations: Australia, Queensland - Toolebuc
Formation.
Time period: Albian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial skull.
Despite
the fact that Mythunga is only known from a partial
skull it is still
one of the best preserved Australian pterosaur
fossils which are in
themselves rare from Australia. This is not to say that Australia
didn't have its fair share of pterosaurs, just that they did not
preserve very well in the given conditions. Also the harsh natural
climate of Australia weathers exposed fossils very quickly, meaning
that when one is discovered, palaeontologists must work quickly to
prevent erosion to the specimen.
Because
of its incomplete preservation the exact position of Mythunga
among
other pterosaurs has been hard to determine. Also there is speculation
that the Mythunga specimen could be that of a
juvenile which can
actually make it even more difficult to establish its position due to
the radical changes that some pterosaurs exhibit as they grow. For
example many of the early discovered pterosaurs such as Pterodactylus
and Rhamphorhynchus
caused a lot of confusion amongst early
palaeontologists because the juveniles are so different from the adults
that they were thought to be different species. Hopefully better
preserved material will come to light to help identify Mythunga,
even
if it means giving it its own group.
In
life Mythunga lived in a coastal area, as
discovered by analysis of the
deposits it was recovered from. This discovery combined with the sharp
teeth of Mythunga that intermeshed when the jaws
were closed indicate
the piscivorous lifestyle of a fish hunter.
Another Australian pterosaur discovered and named in 2011 is Aussiedraco.
Further reading
- An incomplete pterosaur skull from the Cretaceous of north-central
Queensland, Australia, Ralph E. Molnar & Richard A. Thulborn -
2008.
- Reappraisal of Mythunga camara Molnar &
Thulborn, 2007
(Pterosauria, Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueria) from the upper Albian
Toolebuc Formation of Queensland,Australia. - Cretaceous Research. -
Adele H. Pentland & Stephen F. Poropat - 2018.