The first dinosaur fossils (in the world and in Thailand)

Before the word "dinosaur" existed, people thought giant bones belonged to giant humans. A look back at the discoveries that changed how we see the world.

Key moments in this article (spacing is not to scale).

Bones of "giants"

In 1676 the English naturalist Robert Plot described the end of a huge thighbone found in England. He thought it might belong to an elephant or a giant human. Today it is believed to have come from Megalosaurus, but the fossil itself has been lost; only a drawing in his book remains.^[1][2]

The first dinosaur to be named

In 1824 William Buckland named Megalosaurus from a jaw and bones found in England, the first non-avian dinosaur to receive a scientific name.^[2]

A year later, in 1825, Gideon Mantell named Iguanodon from teeth that looked like an iguana's but were much larger.^[1][7]

Where the word "dinosaur" comes from

In 1842 the English anatomist Richard Owen noticed that Megalosaurus, Iguanodon and Hylaeosaurus shared features that set them apart from other reptiles. He named the new group Dinosauria, from the Greek deinos (fearfully great) and sauros (lizard).^[3]

The first dinosaurs that ever lived

Which dinosaur was the oldest keeps changing as new fossils are found. Well-known early dinosaurs such as Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus from Argentina are about 230 million years old, from the Late Triassic, and there may be even older relatives.^[6]

Thailand's first dinosaur fossil

In 1976 Sudham Yaemniyom, a geologist with Thailand's Department of Mineral Resources, found part of the thighbone of a long-necked dinosaur at Phu Wiang in Khon Kaen province. It was the first dinosaur fossil found in Thailand and the start of the exploration that has since produced more than ten named Thai dinosaur genera.^[4]

He is also honored in the name of a Thai dinosaur: Phuwiangvenator yaemniyomi.^[4]