Study sheds new light on Otways dinosaur mystery

REMAINS of a 107 million-years-old flying dinosaur found at Cape Otway are the oldest ever discovered in Australia, a new study reveals, and have provided new insights into the life of the winged reptiles.

Paleontologists have published new research following analysis of a partial pelvis bone and small wing bone of an ancient pterosaur, found at Dinosaur Cove in the late 1980s.

Research institutions and Museums Victoria collaborated on the report that was published in the Historical Biology journal last month.

Lead researcher and Curtin University lead researcher Adele Pentland said the pterosaur thrived despite polar conditions that the dinosaurs experienced during the Cretaceous Period (145–66 million years ago), when Victoria was closer to Antarctica.

“Despite these seasonally harsh conditions, it is clear that pterosaurs found a way to survive and thrive.

“Pterosaurs are rare worldwide, and only a few remains have been discovered at what were high palaeolatitude locations, such as Victoria, so these bones give us a better idea as to where pterosaurs lived and how big they were.

“By analysing these bones, we have also been able to confirm the existence of the first ever Australian juvenile pterosaur, which resided in the Victorian forests around 107 million years ago.”

While the bones provide important insights about the lives of the winged creatures, Ms Pentland said questions remained about their life cycles.

“It will only be a matter of time until we are able to determine whether pterosaurs migrated north during the harsh winters to breed, or whether they adapted to polar conditions.

“Finding the answer to this question will help researchers better understand these mysterious flying reptiles.”

Dr Tom Rich, from Museums Victoria Research Institute, was part of the team that discovered the bones more than three decades ago, said he was thrilled to see the study results decades after the bones were uncovered.

“These two fossils were the outcome of a labour-intensive effort by more than 100 volunteers over a decade.

“That effort involved excavating more than 60 metres of tunnel where the two fossils were found in a seaside cliff at Dinosaur Cove.”

The research was co-authored by researchers from Curtin’s School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum of Natural History, Monash University, and Museums Victoria Research Institute.

The full paper, “Oldest pterosaur remains from Australia: evidence from the Lower Cretaceous (lower Albian) Eumeralla Formation of Victoria”, is free to read for a limited time.