Fish-eating dinosaur fossil discovered in Pahang

PETALING JAYA: Fossil remains of a carnivorous “fish-eating” dinosaur has been discovered in Malaysia, with Universiti Malaya set to unveil the evidence today.

Discovered in the rural interiors of Pahang, the fossil remains of the spinosauridae dinosaur are believed to be from the late Mesozoic era, most likely from the Cretaceous period between 65 million and 145.5 million years ago.

This is believed to be the first time that fossil remains of a dinosaur have been found in Malaysia.

The dinosaur remains had been identified by a team led by Associate Professor Dr Masatoshi Sone of the university’s geology department in collaboration with reptile paleontology specialist Professor Ren Hirayama from Tokyo’s Waseda University.

Spinosauridae is a particular family of carnivorous dinosaurs characterised by its elongated, crocodile-like skulls with conical teeth that had either very tiny or with no serrations.

Another spinosauridae fossil had also been discovered in Australia in 2011, before which the species was believed to have existed only in the northern hemisphere.

Scientists had discovered a 125-million-year-old neck vertebrae identical to that of a Baryonx in Victoria, Australia.

Dr Masatoshi will be attending today’s press conference, along with Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, UM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin and the Science Faculty dean Professor Datuk Dr Mohd Sofian Azirun.