A New Thai Sauropod: Uragasaurus kalasinensis

Publication Info:

Transcript:

Nilpanapan, A., Manitkoon, S., Suteethorn, V. et al. A new mamenchisaurid sauropod from the Lower Phu Kradung Formation, Upper Jurassic of northeastern Thailand. Sci Rep 16, 21205 (2026). doi:10.1038/s41598-026-49822-3

The 15th and newest dinosaur named from Thailand! Meet Uragasaurus kalasinensis, this memenchisaurid sauropod may have reached 60 feet. Still a big dinosaur, even if it falls a little short of its relatives like Brachiosaurus, Giraffotitan, and Memenchisaurus!

Episode 306

Notes:

Thailand's 15th dinosaur was just officially named, and it's a long-necked giant. Mamenchisaurids are a group of sauropods, the long-necked, long-tailed, giant dinosaurs, and the most famous member of the group is probably its namesake, Mamenchisaurus. And well, at least in general, they don't seem to be quite as big as their titanosaur cousins, there are mamenchisaurids that are estimated at over 100 ft long, which is longer than a blue whale. This is Uragasaurus kalasinensis, and well, it's not one of the 100-ft giants, it is a pretty good-sized animal at 50 to 60 ft. And it's a great example of how much information paleontologists can really get from just one bone, because this is the holotype, it's just a vertebra. They're able to 100% identify it as a mamenchisaurid vertebra, and find distinct characteristics, distinct enough to make it its own animal. Specifically, a pneumatic fossa that isn't seen in any of its close relatives. I know, at least up until now, when you hear about fossils, you probably don't immediately think of Thailand, but it is probably going to be in the news a lot more, because the Phu Kradung Formation is getting a ton of attention lately. It's already known for dinosaurs like Minmi cursor, and also has yet to be named Metriacanthosaurus, Stegosaurus, and even a Tyrannosaurus relative that was originally discovered in 2024. As usual, if you want more information, here's the source.