Last Updated on July 10, 2026 by Staff
Scientists have found a species of long-necked dinosaur in Thailand. This is a deal because it helps us learn more about how these dinosaurs evolved and spread across Asia. The new species is called Uragasaurus kalasinensis which’s the first dinosaur of its kind to be officially named in Thailand.
The discovery was published in Scientific Reports. It is not about finding a new dinosaur species. It also helps us understand how these huge plant-eating dinosaurs moved across East and Southeast Asia a time ago during the Late Jurassic period.
A Major Discovery
There was a group of long-necked dinosaurs called mamenchisaurids. They lived in East Asia during the Middle and Late Jurassic period. Most of these dinosaurs were found in China in places like Sichuan and Xinjiang.
We thought that these dinosaurs might have lived in Southeast Asia too. We did not have enough evidence. Now with the discovery of Uragasaurus kalasinensis. We know that they did live in Thailand. This dinosaur species is very important because it shows that these dinosaurs lived in a bigger area than we thought.
Unique Fossil
The new species was found from a well-preserved bone in the dinosaur’s backbone. This bone is special because it has a Y-shaped arrangement of supporting bony ridges. We have not seen this before in any dinosaur of its kind.
Scientists used scans to look at the inside of the fossil. They found small air-filled spaces separated by thin walls of bone. These spaces made the dinosaur’s neck lighter. Still very strong.
We found dinosaur bones near this one but we are not sure if they belong to the same dinosaur. So we only used one bone to describe the species.
Evolutionary Clues
To figure out where Uragasaurus kalasinensis fits in the dinosaur family tree scientists did a study. They used information from dinosaurs that we already know about.
The study showed that Uragasaurus kalasinensis is one of the members of its dinosaur family. This means that it is very important for understanding how these dinosaurs evolved over time.
It is closely related to dinosaurs found in China. This suggests that dinosaurs were able to move across parts of Asia during the Late Jurassic period.
Wider Distribution
The discovery of Uragasaurus kalasinensis shows that these dinosaurs lived in a bigger area than we thought. We had found some dinosaur fossils in Thailand and Tanzania before. They were not complete.
Now we know that these dinosaurs lived in mainland Southeast Asia. This means that they were able to migrate and evolve across a big area.
Scientists think that there were land connections between parts of Asia during the Jurassic period. This allowed the dinosaurs to move and evolve across the region.
Why It Matters
Finding Uragasaurus kalasinensis is not about discovering a new dinosaur species. It also helps us understand the history of Thailand’s Phu Kradung Formation.
There has been a debate about how old the rocks in this formation’re. The new fossil provides evidence that the lower part of the formation is from the Late Jurassic period.
This will help scientists date fossil discoveries from the region more accurately. It will also help us understand more about dinosaur evolution in Southeast Asia.
The discovery of Uragasaurus kalasinensis shows how one preserved fossil can change what we know about science. It not only introduces a new dinosaur species but also tells us more about ancient ecosystems and the diversity of long-necked dinosaurs that lived in Asia, over 150 million years ago.