PUBLISHED : 22 Feb 2024 at 05:05
KHON KAEN: Fossils of three more prehistoric animals have been found in tambon Muang Wan in Nam Phong district in addition to ones discovered earlier in the same area.
Sasa-On Khansubha, a palaeontologist from the Sirindhorn Dinosaur Museum in Kalasin, said on Wednesday that her team is examining the fossils collected from a swamp in tambon Muang Wan, with initial results showing they belong to a carnivorous dinosaur which preyed on fish, a herbivorous one and a marine species.
Ms Sasa-On added that the site where the fossils were found was a rock formation called the Khok Kruat Formation and that they date back to around 100-110 million years ago. The area was inhabited by fish-eating dinosaurs, which means the area was a biodiversity hotspot and rich in food sources.
The discovery was an addition to the 110-million-year-old fossils belonging to sauropod and spinosaurid species found in late January in tambon Muang Wan.
Ms Sasa-On said local authorities have fenced off the area around the discovery site to prevent people from uncovering and damaging undiscovered fossils. The palaeontologist believes there might be other dinosaur or ancient animal fossils hidden in the vicinity.
“The site where the fossils were discovered has been fenced to allow geologists to search the area under the Fossil Protection Act and to collect as much evidence as possible,” said Ms Sasa-On.
She also said that it was not certain whether the fish-eating dinosaur and the herbivorous one were the same species as those of the 130-million-year-old fossils found in Phu Wiang district in Khon Kaen.