Dino card No. 1423 of 2,027

Phuwiangosaurus

Say it: foo-WEE-ang-oh-SORE-us

Name means: “Phu Wiang lizard”1

Ate: PlantsLong-necksEarly Cretaceous

Phuwiangosaurus was a huge, long-necked plant-eater that lived in what is now Thailand. It munched on leaves and ferns with its peg-like teeth, and its long neck helped it reach high into the trees.4

Lived

126 to 113 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Phu Wiang area, northeastern Thailand4 2

Food

Plants4

Length

15 to 20 m4

estimated

Weight

10 tonnes to 15 tonnes4

Height

4 to 5 m4

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 4 cars parked in a rowas long as 110 bananas end to endas heavy as 10 carsas heavy as 2.5 elephantsas heavy as 3000 watermelonsas tall as 2.5 doors stacked up

How big was Phuwiangosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Phuwiangosaurus was named in 1994 by Valerie Martin, Eric Buffetaut and Varavudh Suteethorn.1 2

Its fossils were found in the Sao Khua Formation, which is about 125 to 113 million years old.4

The type specimen includes many bones from a partial skeleton, like vertebrae and limb bones.4

Scientists think Phuwiangosaurus belongs to a group of sauropods called Euhelopodidae, which lived mostly in Asia.1

Phuwiangosaurus was a ground-dwelling herbivore, meaning it walked on four sturdy legs and ate plants.4

The species name sirindhornae honors Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand.2

AI-made picture of Phuwiangosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Phuwiangosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Phuwiangosaurus

?How big was Phuwiangosaurus?

It was a mid-sized sauropod, roughly 15 to 20 metres long and weighed about 17 tonnes.3

?What did Phuwiangosaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater that used its slender, peg-like teeth to munch on leaves and ferns.3

?When did Phuwiangosaurus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 133.6 to 132.1 million years ago.3

?Where was Phuwiangosaurus found?

Its fossils were discovered in the Phu Wiang area of Thailand, in the Sao Khua Formation.3

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Phuwiangosaurus
Named by: Martin et al. 19944
Group: Long-necks
Family / clade: Euhelopodidae4
Classification: Sauropodomorpha > Sauropoda > Macronaria4
Age of the rocks: 126 to 113 million years (Barremian / Aptian)4
Rock formations: Sao Khua, Khok Kruat4
Countries: Thailand4
Fossil records: 15 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Phuwiangosaurus was discovered in the Phu Wiang area of Thailand and named in 1994 by Valerie Martin, Eric Buffetaut and Varavudh Suteethorn.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Phuwiangosaurus lived in the Late Jurassic or Early Cretaceous period, because the rocks where it was found could be from either time.2

Where the facts come from

PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Fossil of Thailand (fossil.dmr.go.th)
Phuwiangosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Phuwiangosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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