Single fossil vertebra identifies new dinosaur species in Thailand

A single well-preserved vertebra has led to the identification of a new species of dinosaur in Thailand: Uragasaurus kalasinensis, a mamenchisaurid sauropod that lived about 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Source: excelsiormxSource: infobae. The discovery, published in Scientific Reports, marks the first formally described mamenchisaurid from Thailand and expands the known distribution of these long-necked giants beyond China Source: excelsiormx.

The discovery

The fossil, a dorsal vertebra found at the Phu Noi site in the Phu Kradung Formation, features a unique Y-shaped arrangement of bone laminae not seen in other mamenchisaurids Source: infobae. CT scans revealed a complex system of internal air cavities, an adaptation to lighten the skeleton while supporting a neck capable of sustaining animals weighing over 15 tonnes Source: excelsiormxSource: infobae. The team, led by Apirut Nilpanapan of Mahasarakham University, determined that these features justified a new genus and species Source: excelsiomx.

Significance

The find highlights Thailand's growing role in Asian paleontology and helps refine the chronology of the Phu Kradung Formation Source: excelsiomx. The name combines the Sanskrit "uraga" (serpent) and "saurus," with the species name honoring the province of Kalasin . Although only one vertebra was recovered, its excellent condition provided sufficient anatomical detail to distinguish from all known sauropods .