Imagine taking a trip to Thailand’s very own Jurassic Park, a region rich in history and prehistoric life in the northeastern province of Kalasin. Here exists the recently unearthed Phu Noi excavation site within the charmingly rural Din Jee of Kham Muang district. Spearheading this new era of paleontological exploration in the region is a partnership between the Department of Mineral Resources and Mahasarakham University.
The Director-General of the department, Oranuj Lorphensri, recently revealed what can only be described as the find of a lifetime. Delving deep into the sprawling excavation site of 1,200-square-metres, the combined effort of university staff and department officials led to the unveiling of an impeccably preserved dinosaur fossil. This isn’t just any fossil, nor is it simply another dinosaur. It’s nothing less than the most well-preserved dinosaur found in not only Thailand but Southeast Asia as well.
Imagine, if you will, a complete skeleton that’s been preserved to such an extent that each bone is found exactly where it should be, and even the spinal tendons remain intact. The small, yet dashing dinosaur, christened ‘Minimocursor phunoiensis,’ translates to the small runner from Phu Noi. This aptly named creature pushes the boundaries of our concepts of prehistoric life, now standing as the 13th dinosaur to be uncovered in the soils of Thailand, marking yet another global first in the realm of dinosaur discovery.
Just putting into perspective, the age of this fossil is an incredible 150 million years old, a testament to life within the late Jurassic period. The Minimocursor’s pelvis shares an intriguing likeness with the dinosaurs of Ancient Earth that were ornithischian, or bird-hipped.
The Phu Noi mountain, where this archaeological marvel was unearthed, houses an inspiring collection exceeding 5,000 fossilised remnants of historical creatures bearing backbones. The accolade for housing the most extensive and gloriously diverse fossilised vertebrate site in Southeast Asia goes to this very mountain.
The Minimocursor phunoiensis was a small, vegetation-consuming dinosaur species and is now the eighth fresh species unearthed at the Phu Noi excavation site. Adding to its incredible story is the fact that being 60-centimetre-tall and weighing about 20 kilogrammes is only its juvenile size. The full-grown adults were estimated to stand tall at 2 metres.
On July 13, the exciting details surrounding this latest discovery were divulged in the revered scientific magazine entitled ‘Diversity’. This remarkable unearthing underlines our never-ending quest for knowledge, touching on the spectacular diversity of life that thrived millions of years ago, forever endorsing the feeling of awe when considering the wonders of our prehistoric world.
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