{"id":882351,"date":"2026-09-03T23:34:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T23:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/882351\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T23:34:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T23:34:15","slug":"just-the-beginning-thailands-dinosaur-rush-could-soon-uncover-its-16th-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/882351\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Just the beginning\u2019: Thailand\u2019s dinosaur rush could soon uncover its 16th species"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KHON KAEN, Sept\u00a04 \u2014 A dinosaur statue stands guard outside a temple, a hint at the ancient giants buried deep in the earth below making up northeastern Thailand\u2019s \u201cdinosaur rush\u201d.<\/p>\n

Researchers have found a trove of dinosaur fossils across the region, which holds the country\u2019s richest deposits, offering insight into the creatures that roamed the planet millions of years ago.<\/p>\n

Prehistoric specimens from the region\u2019s sun-baked soil were identified this year as two new species \u2014 Southeast Asia\u2019s largest dinosaur Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis and the long-necked Uragasaurus kalasinensis.<\/p>\n

They are the latest discoveries in a series that researchers at Mahasarakham University \u2014 which leads the field \u2014 hope will result in Thailand\u2019s 16th species within months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThailand really is the hotspot for research and discovery\u201d in Southeast Asia, said Richard Cloutier, a professor of palaeontology visiting from Canada\u2019s Universite du Quebec a Rimouski.<\/p>\n

\"People <\/p>\n

People visit Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum in Khon Kaen on August 19, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

While China, Mongolia and Russia remain major fossil-hunting grounds, experts say the part of the Earth that is now Thailand offers important clues to dinosaur evolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timeframe of our discoveries fills a geological gap or missing link present in records of other countries,\u201d said Suravech Suteethorn, deputy director of the university\u2019s Palaeontological Research and Education Centre.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur local dinosaurs are like missing jigsaw pieces that help establish evolutionary connections, particularly around the Jurassic and Cretaceous period transition, approximately 140 million years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"This <\/p>\n

This picture shows a model skeleton of a Minimocursor phunoiensis at the Palaeontological Research and Education Centre at Mahasarakham University in Mahasarakham on August 18, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

Next big find<\/p>\n

Many of the specimens confirmed this year were unearthed a decade or more ago, but needed research and verification before being identified. There are more waiting to be tested.<\/p>\n

At the university, shelves groan with jagged pieces of spines, necks and legs that to an untrained eye resemble battered stones.<\/p>\n

Countless more fossils remain in the ground, including at Phu Wiang National Park, two hours away, where Suravech and his veteran palaeontologist father \u2014 and boss \u2014 Varuvudh work on a dig.<\/p>\n

Under a makeshift roof offering protection from the monsoon rains, the pair are slowly uncovering the giant neck of a fossil they hope to confirm soon as Thailand\u2019s newest dinosaur.<\/p>\n

Suravech was tight-lipped about the find, but said it would \u201cwow\u201d people.<\/p>\n

\"Palaeontologist <\/p>\n

Palaeontologist Varavudh Suteethorn uses a pneumatic pen to excavate a dinosaur fossil at Phu Wiang National Park in Khon Kaen on August 19, 2026. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

\u201cThese new discoveries indicate the grandeur and richness of our country in the past,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n

Varuvudh was on the team that announced last month the discovery of Uragasaurus, a plant-eater up to 20 metres (65 feet) long that roamed the Earth around 150 million years ago \u2014 the first dinosaur of its kind identified in Thailand.<\/p>\n

The news came hot on the heels of the confirmation of 27-tonne herbivore Nagatitan \u2014 named after a serpent from Southeast Asian folklore, a giant of Greek mythology and the province of Chaiyaphum where it was found \u2014 which lived 100-120 million years ago.<\/p>\n

Dinosaurs on a budget\u00a0<\/p>\n

Northeastern Thailand is particularly well placed for dinosaur discoveries, said Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London who co-authored the Nagatitan paper in the journal Scientific Reports.<\/p>\n

Its dry climate and sparse vegetation leave fossil-bearing rocks exposed, while its geology contains sedimentary layers of the right age to preserve dinosaur remains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the current \u2018dinosaur rush\u2019 in Thailand is hopefully just the beginning,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n

\"Students <\/p>\n

Students visit Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum in Khon Kaen on August 19, 2026. Researchers have found a trove of dinosaur fossils in Khon Kaeon province, which holds the country’s richest deposits, offering insight into the creatures that roamed the planet millions of years ago. \u2014 AFP pic<\/p>\n

The largely rural region is historically among the poorest in Thailand, but the discoveries are a boon to a fledgling dinosaur tourism industry in a country better known for its beaches and food.<\/p>\n

Visiting a dinosaur museum in Khon Kaen, retiree Songyos Toongtubtim said he was \u201ccurious to learn more\u201d after hearing about the discoveries.<\/p>\n

Another museum opened in 2007 in the province of Kalasin \u2014 for which the Uragasaurus was named \u2014 and now draws hundreds of thousands of people each year.<\/p>\n

But funding for palaeontology remains limited and the research community small, while expeditions into remote areas can be costly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many fossils hidden here that are waiting for us to uncover,\u201d Suravech said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe seek help from the Thai government, but it\u2019s very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lifelong fan of the Jurassic Park movies, Suravech joked that his work lacks Hollywood\u2019s deep pockets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m waiting for the moment when there\u2019s a billionaire to support the project like in the film.\u201d \u2014 AFP<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KHON KAEN, Sept\u00a04 \u2014 A dinosaur statue stands guard outside a temple, a hint at the ancient giants…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":882352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,306137,306140,306138,306141,66,306142,306139],"class_list":["post-882351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-khon-kaen","tag-mahasarakham-university","tag-nagatitan-chaiyaphumensis","tag-phu-wiang-national-park","tag-science","tag-southeast-asia-dinosaur","tag-uragasaurus-kalasinensis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=882351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/882351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=882351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=882351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=882351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}