Dinosaurs A to Z
Euhelopodidae

Phuwiangosaurus

"Phu Wiang lizard"

Generic sauropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Phuwiangosaurus 20 m (66 ft) long
as long as 12 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic sauropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Phuwiangosaurus
Length
20 m (66 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (133.6–132.1 Mya)
Place
Asia · Thailand
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Euhelopodidae

Phuwiangosaurus (meaning “Phu Wiang lizard”) is a genus of titanosauriform dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian-Hauterivian) Sao Khua Formation of Thailand. The type species, P. sirindhornae, was described by Martin, Buffetaut, and Suteethorn in a 1993 press release and was formally named in 1994. The species was named to honor Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand, who was interested in the geology and palaeontology of Thailand, while the genus was named after the Phu Wiang area, where the fossil was discovered. The precise affinities of Phuwiangosaurus among titanosauriform sauropods are uncertain, though several studies have classified it as a euhelopodid.

What we know

  • Named by Martin, Buffetaut and Suteethorn, 1994.
  • Body length estimated at about 20 m.
  • Fossils found in Asia and Thailand.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Phuwiangosaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.