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Palaeontologists in Thailand say they have discovered a new species of dinosaur from fossils found in Kalasin Province in the country’s north-east. <\/b><\/p>\n
The plant-eating dinosaur, named Uragasaurus kalasinensis, is thought to have lived about 150 million years ago.<\/p>\n
It had an unusually long neck and measured up to 20m (66ft) – roughly the length of a cricket pitch.<\/p>\n
Dr Apirut Nilpanapan from Thailand’s Mahasarakham University, the study’s lead author, told BBC Thai that the specimen was part of a large fossil collection from a site first identified in 2008, when a local man found fragments resembling serpent scales.<\/p>\n
The site where the discovery was made, Phu Noi, contained a wide variety of fossils from the Late Jurassic period. More than 90% of the fossils excavated from the site were dinosaur fragments.<\/p>\n
When the survey team went to explore the site it found other fossils such as dinosaur teeth and bones. <\/p>\n
However, the fossil that led to the discovery of the new species was a recovered dorsal vertebra \u2014 a bone from the middle or upper back \u2014 which showed distinctive characteristics.<\/p>\n
A CT scan revealed that the dinosaur belonged to the Mamenchisauridae family of sauropod dinosaurs, characterised by their extremely long necks, which likely helped them reach vegetation at different heights.<\/p>\n
While most fossils from the Mamenchisauridae family have been found in China, this discovery is the first of its kind in Thailand.<\/p>\n
The scan also revealed unique characteristics, including a Y-shaped arrangement of supporting bones known as laminae.<\/p>\n
Nilpanapan told BBC Thai the features, in particular a unique air-cavity structure, were “unlike any other dinosaur in the world… That’s what sets it apart”.<\/p>\n
He said he smashed his computer after realising they had discovered a new species, adding that he felt both “exhilarated and relieved”.<\/p>\n
The study was published in the Nature scientific journal earlier this week.<\/p>\n
In May, it was revealed that a different type of long-necked herbivore dinosaur – the nagatitan – had been identified by scientists from remains dug up in Thailand.<\/p>\n
The nagatitan is the largest-ever dinosaur found in South-East Asia, weighing 27 tonnes – as much as nine adult Asian elephants – and measured 27m (88ft) in length.<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Jiraporn Sricham<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n