Some of the most visually stunning sequences from director James Cameron’s blockbuster movie Avatar involved graceful flying creatures that were ridden by blue human-like beings facing ecological destruction on a moon called Pandora.

It turns out that an animal very similar to those Avatar creatures, called Ikran, actually did exist here on earth long ago.

Scientists announced the discovery of fossils in China of a new species of flying reptile called a pterosaur that lived 120 millions years ago and so closely resembled the creatures from the 2009 film that they named it after them.

It is called Ikrandraci avatar, meaning ‘Ikran dragon’ from Avatar. And this pterosaur is noteworthy for more than just its resemblance to a movie creature.

The scientists said it appears that Ikrandraci avatar had a throat pouch similar to that of a pelican. It probably fed on small fish from freshwater lakes, flying low over the water and catching prey by skimming its lower jaw into the water, they said. It may have stored the fish in the pouch, they added.

Ikrandraci avatar, whose fossils were unearthed in China’s Liaoning province, boasted a wingspan of about 2.5 metres.

It lived in a warm region teeming with life, with feathered dinosaurs, birds, mammals, frogs, turtles and other animals along with a variety of trees and other plants, Wang said.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.