Carcharodontosaurs were one of the most successful theropod clades of the early and middle Cretaceous. However little is known about the basal eastern asiatic members of the group. Recently, palaeontologist Chockchaloemwong and his research team discovered a Carcharodontosaurid named Siamraptor Suwati, in the Khok Kruat formation in Thailand. This discovery could change palaeontologists’ understanding of carcharodontosaur evolution.
S.Suwati would have been an estimated 26 feet long and around 6-8 feet tall. The site yielded four individuals with material consisting of the rear lower jaw, some cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, a partial tibia and some hip bones (ischia).
This species could provide insight into basal carcharodontosaur palaeogeography and evolution, and has already proven that carcharodontosaurs had colonised three continents by the early cretaceous.
Source:
- Duangsuda Chokchaloemwong, Soki Hattori, Elena Cuesta, Pratueng Jintasakul, Masateru Shibata, Yoichi Azuma. A new carcharodontosaurian theropod (Dinosauria: Saurischia) from the Lower Cretaceous of Thailand. PLOS ONE, 2019; 14 (10): e0222489 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222489
Dinosauria 