New Jurassic dinosaur species identified in Thailand

New Jurassic dinosaur species identified in Thailand from a single bone




Life reconstruction of a herd of five individuals of Uragasaurus kalasinensis inhabiting a Late Jurassic forest in Thailand, accompanied by a pair of rhamphorhynchoid pterosaurs and a metriacanthosaurid theropod. Artwork by Pakorn Chotchaiyaporn (Jæsica ẞababi). Credit: Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-49822-3


A new study published in Scientific Reports describes the identification of a new species of long-necked dinosaur found in the Phu Kradung Formation in Thailand. The team calls the dinosaur Uragasaurus kalasinensis and says it is the first formally named mamenchisaurid dinosaur from Thailand.

Mamenchisaurids were long-necked sauropod dinosaurs that dominated parts of East Asia during the Middle to Late Jurassic period. Most previously named mamenchisaurid species have come from China, mostly from Sichuan and Xinjiang, but the group's diversity and range outside China have been unclear. There have been some hints that mamenchisaurids existed in Southeast Asia, but only a few diagnostic fossils have been found, and no Thai species had been formally named.

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Only fragmentary possible mamenchisaurid remains had previously been found in Thailand, but the recent finding yielded a more informative fossil in the form of a well-preserved front dorsal vertebra—a part of the dinosaur's spine. The vertebra has a distinctive Y-shaped arrangement of supporting bony ridges, called laminae, which the researchers say is unique among known mamenchisaurids.

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Aside from adding a new mamenchisaurid species, the discovery also helps paleontologists piece together details surrounding the evolutionary history of mamenchisaurids and where they spread across the continent. It also provides more information about the Phu Kradung Formation. There has been some debate about which time periods the formation spans, and the new find helps place the lower part of the formation more firmly in the Upper Jurassic age.


Much more on the link ...

https://phys.org/news/2026-07-jurassic-dinosaur-species-thailand-bone.html