Dinosaurs also Lived in Thailand
Hundreds of millions of years ago, there were many varieties of dinosaurs that lived and searched for food in primitive Thailand. Their bodies were buried and overtime those remains, which were underground, became fossils.
Paleobiologists found fossilised bones of over 16 genera of dinosaurs in Thailand, in which 9 of them were discovered to be new dinosaur species of the world. These dinosaurs include:
Isanosaurus attavipachi, a large quadruped herbivorous dinosaur with a long neck and tail, is called a Sauropod and lived in the late Triassic period about 210 million years ago in Thailand. Its fossils were found in Chaiyaphum. From the record, it was found to be one of the new genera and oldest Sauropod dinosaur species in the world.
Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae was a Sauropod dinosaur living in the early Cretaceous period around 130 million years ago. Its fossils were found in the Phu Wiang National Park in Khon Kaen Province in 1982. After that more fossils were also found in Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, and Kalasin.
Siamotyrannus isanensis is a carnivorous dinosaur walking on its two back legs and called a Theropod dinosaur living in the early Cretaceous period around 130 million years ago. Its fossils were found in Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Siamosaurus suteethorni is a Theropod dinosaur living in the early Cretaceous period, having a long narrow mouth, teeth like a crocodile’s, and fed on fish. Its fossils were found in Khon Kaen, Kalasin, Chaiyaphum, Ubon Ratchathani, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Nakhon Ratchasima.
Psittacosaurus sattayaraki is a gazelle-sized bipedal herbivore, with a body length of approximately 1 metre, and lived in the early Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in Chaiyaphum.
Kinnareemimus khonkaenensis is a Theropod dinosaur living in the early Cretaceous period. Its physical appearance resembled those of ostriches. This species of dinosaur is believed to be highly agile. It walks and runs on its 2 hind legs. It has a slender, elongated neck and a beak without teeth and is believed to be omnivorous. Its fossilised remains were found in Phu Wiang, Khon Kaen.
Siamodon nimngami is an extinct genus of iguanodontian Ornithopod dinosaurs. Siamodon differs from Iguanodon in the morphology of its maxillary teeth that are closely related to those of Probactrosaurus from China. Fossilised bone elements of Siamodon nimngami were discovered in the Ban Saphan Hin site, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, from the Khok Kruat Formation, dating to the Aptian stage of the early Cretaceous period, about 125-112 million years ago.
Thaisaurus chonglakmanii is a genus of ichthyopterygian marine reptiles that lived during the early Triassic period. Ichthyosaurs were not dinosaurs, but represented a separate group of marine vertebrates. While dinosaurs ruled the land, the ichthyosaurs shared the seas of the world with the other great groups of large marine reptiles. They had streamlined, fishlike bodies, similar to that of dolphins or whales. The last ichthyosaurs disappeared in the Cretaceous period, well before the mysterious extinction of dinosaurs. Thaisaurus chonglakmanii was named after Chongpan Chonglakmani Ph.D., a paleobiologist of the Department of Mineral Resources who discovered the primitive ichthyosaur fossils in Khao Thong, Phatthalung Province.
Ratchasimasaurus suranareae is a genus of non-hadrosaurid iguanodontian Ornithopod dinosaur in the early Cretaceous period (Aptian stage) around 100 million years ago. Its fossils were discovered from the Khok Kruat Formation in the pool area of Ban Pong Malaeng Wan, Tambon Khok Kruat, Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima, as a result from a joint-research project between the Northeastern Research Institute of Petrified Wood and Mineral Resources, Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University and Japan’s Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. They were named after Nakhon Ratchasima, the province in which the dinosaur’s fossils were discovered and Thao Suranari, a local revered heroic lady.
Dinosaurs also Lived in Thailand
