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There’s a lot that scientists still don’t understand about pterosaurs, CNET reports, especially because so few fossils have been found. But uncovering this new fossil helps explain how the admittedly terrifying creature lived, hunted, and flourished millions of years ago.

The fossil — a massive jawbone — suggests that the Thapunngaka shawi was a ferocious hunter. The 3.2 foot-long jaw likely held as many as 40 huge, sharp teeth. The creature had a wingspan of 22 feet and a neck longer than a giraffe’s that it used to balance its humongous head, according to CNET.

“This thing would have been quite savage,” study coauthor and University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences PhD student Tim Richards told the site. “It would have cast a great shadow over some quivering little dinosaur that wouldn’t have heard it until it was too late.”

While other energy superpowers such as the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Russia have clung to their prodigious oil and gas industries to varying degrees, China has gone all-in on establishing their own energy security and independence, a large portion of which will soon be sourced from clean energy resources.


As the global energy transition accelerates, China appears to be miles ahead of the competition when it comes to securing itself for a future without fossil fuels.