“So, how was your vacation?”
“Good, thanks. Ate some great food. Saw the sights. Really managed to unwind. Oh, and I discovered a 120-million-year-old dinosaur footprint.”
That’s the story 32-year-old Pichai Prathetsena can tell after returning from Phu Phra Bat National Park in Thailand. Having happened upon the deep indentation on his travels, Prathetsena uploaded a photo of the footprint to Facebook, where it was spotted by the government.
Experts were soon on the scene to identify the 11.4-inch-by-10.2-inch print, and the park was closed so the area could be properly examined. The three-toed footprint turned out to be one of six, all of which date back to the Early Cretaceous.
These are trace fossils, which means they’re not actual remains but rather indirect evidence of an ancient animal—in this case, deep impressions in soft ground that later hardens, preserving the footprints like a cast.
The size and depth of the impressions, as well as the distance between them, give archaeologists some clues to the dinosaur’s weight, dimensions, stride length, and gait. To that end, it’s estimated that this particular dino, a carnivorous theropod, walked on hind legs that measured around 4 feet, 8 inches, with an estimated length of more than 20 feet. That puts it in the same category as the one-ton Siamotyrannus isanensis, previously discovered in Thailand, but more research is necessary to fully identify the species.
Government agencies are now working to preserve the footprints and reduce further erosion and water damage. In fact, according to the Thai Department of Mineral Resources on Facebook, the site could be developed into a geological and fossil research hub.
Dinosaur footprints have been discovered in Thailand for decades—a total of 25 dinosaur species have been uncovered there to date, including 13 that haven’t been located anywhere else—but these are the first prints of a carnivorous dinosaur to be found in the Udon Thani Province. Many of the finds have also been linked to citizen scientists.
So it’s a good reminder to keep your eyes open and your phone camera close while you’re on vacation. After all, you never know what you might stumble across.
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Lead Image: Thailand Department of Mineral Resources
