Thapunngaka

Fah-pun-gah-kah.
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Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

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Name

Thapunngaka ‭(‬spear jaw‭)‬.

Phonetic

Fah-pun-gah-kah.

Named By

T.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Richards,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Stumkat‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Salisbury‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Pterosauria,‭ ‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Anhangueridae,‭ ‬Tropeognathinae.

Diet

Piscivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬shawi‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of remains.

Known locations

Australia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Toolebuc Formation.

Time Period

Early Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial lower jaw.

In Depth

       Thapunngaka is a genus of pterosaur that lived in Australia during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬The holotype of Thapunngaka is the anterior section of a lower jaw,‭ ‬and this makes establishing the body form and size of Thapunngaka very difficult and impossible to do with certainty.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬Thapunngaka does seem to‭ ‬have been a mid to large pterosaur that could have approached and maybe even exceeded a wingspan of six meters or more.

Further reading

-‭ ‬A new species of crested pterosaur‭ (‬Pterodactyloidea,‭ ‬Anhangueridae‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous‭ (‬upper Albian‭) ‬of Richmond,‭ ‬North West Queensland,‭ ‬Australia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.‭ ‬41‭ (‬3‭)‬.‭ ‬-‭ ‬T.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Richards,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬Stumkat‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬W.‭ ‬Salisbury‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT