New long-necked dino discovered in Thailand

A dinosaur with an unusually long neck has been discovered in Thailand.

The plant-eating creature, called Uragasaurus kalasinensis, lived between 145 and 150 million years ago and was identified from a fossil found in the north east of the country.

Its huge neck measured a whopping 20m (66ft) which is about the length of a cricket pitch.

The new species was found with a well-preserved bone, from the middle or upper back, which was uncovered alongside other fragments at the Phu Noi fossil site.

The site in Thailand contains a huge number of fossils, most of which are dinosaur fragments.

But a vertebra, or backbone, can gives experts a lot more detailed information about the dinosaur it belonged to.

A scan showed that the dinosaur belonged to the Mamenchisauridae family of sauropod dinosaurs, a group with particularly long necks.

They used their height to reach leaves on tall trees and browse vegetation.

Dr Apirat Nilphanaphan from Thailand's Mahasarakham University is lead author of the study which was published in Scientific Reports journal.

He told BBC Thai the features, in particular a unique air-cavity structure, were "unlike any other dinosaur in the world... That's what sets it apart".

The discovery is the first of its kind in Thailand as most Mamenchisauridae discoveries have been in China.

Experts hope that this discovery will give more insight into the spread of sauropods in South East Asia.