The Mineral Resources Department has confirmed that six fossilised footprints discovered in a forest stream bed in Ban Phue district of Udon Thani province were left by a carnivorous theropod dinosaur about 120 million years ago.
Palaeontologists from the department’s Fossil Protection Division, together with officials from Phu Hin Chom That–Phu Phra Bat National Park and the Fine Arts Department, visited the site to examine the fossilised footprint discovered by Pichai Prathetsena and determine whether it was made by a dinosaur.
The team found six footprints forming a trackway in sandstone, rather than a single footprint as initially reported.
Palaeontologists confirmed that the footprints belonged to a theropod, a group of dinosaurs characterised by three toes with sharp claws on each foot. The footprints measure 29 centimetres long and 26 centimetres wide.
Based on their dimensions, the scientists estimated that the dinosaur stood about 1.42 metres tall at the hip and was approximately 6.3 metres long. Its estimated size is comparable to that of Siamotyrannus isanensis, a theropod dinosaur whose fossils have previously been found in Thailand.
The Mineral Resources Department said the discovery represents the first confirmed find of fossilised footprints belonging to a meat-eating theropod dinosaur in Thailand.
The department, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and the Fine Arts Department will work together to protect the site under the Fossil Protection Act. Measures will be taken to prevent damage to the footprints from visitors and water erosion.
The agencies will also consider developing the site into a research centre and geological tourism destination.
