Sirindhorna is a kind of dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, around 120 to 113 million years ago. This dinosaur was found in northeastern Thailand.
**Discovery and Naming**
In 2007, researchers from the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum in Japan teamed up with the Northeastern Research Institute of Petrified Woods and Mineral Resources and the Khorat Fossil Museum in Thailand. They wanted to study dinosaurs from similar ages found in both Japan and Thailand. This collaboration led to the Japan-Thailand Dinosaur Project, which has found over 30,000 fossils.
The bones of Sirindhorna were discovered at a site called Ban Saphan Hin in Thailand. Although the exact age of the rocks in this area is uncertain, they are thought to be from the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous period, which is between 125 and 112 million years old.
Digging for a water reservoir by local farmers led to the discovery of these dinosaur fossils. Researchers then carefully gathered and studied the fossils while the farmers paused their farming activities.
In 2015, a group of Thai paleontologists, including Masateru Shibata, Pratueng Jintasakul, Yoichi Azuma, and Hai-Lu You, described the Sirindhorna. It is considered one of the eighteen dinosaur species identified that year in a journal that anyone could read for free.
Sirindhorna is the third known species of iguanodont in Thailand and the first ornithopod from Southeast Asia with a well-preserved skull. The official name of this dinosaur is Sirindhorna khoratensis. The name “Sirindhorna” honors Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for her support of paleontology in Thailand, while “khiratensis” refers to Nakhon Ratchasima Province, often called Khorat.
Fossils from Sirindhorna include parts of its skull and teeth, with some bones still yet to be described. The discoveries from this exciting project have opened up new knowledge about dinosaurs in Southeast Asia.