Thailand: New 20m long-necked dinosaur species found
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- Uragasaurus kalasinensis, a plant-eating dinosaur measuring up to 20m (66ft) — roughly the length of a cricket pitch — was identified from fossils in north-east Thailand's Kalasin Province and is thought to have lived about 150 million years ago.
- A CT scan of a recovered dorsal vertebra revealed the specimen belonged to the Mamenchisauridae family, characterized by extremely long necks; most relatives in the family have been found in China, making this the first such species found in Thailand.
- Distinguishing features include a Y-shaped arrangement of supporting bones called laminae and a unique air-cavity structure that lead author Dr Apirat Nilphanaphan of Mahasarakham University said was 'unlike any other dinosaur in the world.'
- The fossil came from the Phu Noi site, first identified in 2008 when a local man found fragments resembling serpent scales; over 90% of fossils excavated from the site are dinosaur fragments from the Late Jurassic period.
- The study was published in the Nature scientific journal earlier this week, with Nilphanaphan saying he 'smashed his keyboard' upon realizing the specimen represented a new species.
- In May, Thai scientists separately identified the nagatitan, another long-necked herbivore and the largest-ever dinosaur found in South-East Asia at 27 tonnes and 27m (88ft) long.
Why it matters: The discovery expands Mamenchisauridae's known geographic range beyond its China-centered footprint into Southeast Asia, and Thailand's Phu Noi site — where over 90% of excavated material is dinosaur — is emerging as a rich Late Jurassic window for the region's paleontology, with two major long-necked species identified in just weeks.
