200-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Found in South-East Asia

Approximately the size of an antelope, this herbivorous dinosaur inhabited South and Southeast Asia between 145 and 200 million years ago and was discovered in Thailand. Minimocursor phunoiensis is the name given to this new species after its fossils were discovered in the Phu Kradung Formation in the country’s north, which has yielded an abundance of fossils in recent years.

The Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation in the Phu Noi location, Kalasin Province, Thailand, yielded an exceptionally articulated skeleton of a new basal neornithischian dinosaur, Minimocursor phunoiensis gen. et sp. nov. Non-marine vertebrate fossils are abundant at this site on the Khorat Plateau1. This new species is being called the most recent dinosaur find in history.

For almost six years, a team led by Sita Manitkoon of Thailand’s Mahasarakham University studied the fossils and came to the conclusion that they belonged to a new species of plant-eating dinosaur that roamed the jungles of Southeast Asia. Minimocursor phunoiensis is the name given to this new species after its fossils were discovered in the Phu Kradung Formation in the country’s north, which has yielded an abundance of fossils in recent years.

To sum up, the finding of Minimocursor phunoiensis represents a fantastic development in our knowledge of dinosaur variety and development. Understanding the prehistoric ecosystems of South and Southeast Asia is aided by the discovery of this antelope-sized dinosaur that fed on plants and roamed the region between 145 and 200 million years ago.