Thailand confirms six 120-million-year-old dinosaur footprints on October 20
Six footprints in Thailand’s Udon Thani point to a 6.30-metre-long carnivore, as agencies plan protection and assess the site’s tourism potential.
- Thailand's Department of Mineral Resources confirmed on October 20 that six dinosaur footprints were discovered in Udon Thani province.
- The footprints are approximately 120 million years old, dating to the Early Cretaceous period, and were made by a meat-eating theropod dinosaur.
- Analysis of the prints suggests the dinosaur was about 6.30 meters long and 1.42 meters high at the hip.
- Government agencies are now coordinating to protect the site from damage and are considering its potential for education and tourism.
Thailand’s Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) confirmed on Tuesday (October 20, 2026) that six footprints found in Udon Thani were left by a meat-eating dinosaur about 120 million years ago.
The six prints form a single trackway preserved in sandstone of the Phu Phan Formation from the Early Cretaceous, according to the DMR. Officials identified them as the tracks of a theropod dinosaur that walked on its two hind legs.
A man identified as Pichai discovered the footprints near ranger station No. 3 (Phu Phra Bat) in Mueang Phan subdistrict, Ban Phue district, Udon Thani. The discovery drew attention in a Facebook group whose Thai name translates as “What is this creature?”, prompting the DMR’s field inspection.
Footprints suggest a dinosaur 6.30 metres long
Analysis of the Udon Thani footprints suggests the dinosaur was about 1.42 metres high at the hip and 6.30 metres long, the DMR said. The prints have three pointed toes and measure 29 centimetres long by 26 centimetres wide.
The DMR compared the estimated size with that of Siamotyrannus isanensis, a theropod previously discovered in Thailand that lived during the same period. The comparison concerns the dinosaur’s size rather than confirmation that this species made the tracks.
Agencies coordinate protection for Udon Thani fossil site
The DMR is working with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the Fine Arts Department to protect the footprints from damage caused by visitor disturbance.
The agencies are following procedures for protecting newly reported fossil discoveries under Thailand’s Fossil Protection Act 2008, according to the DMR.
Plans for the Udon Thani site also include safeguards against water erosion. The DMR said the agencies were considering its potential to become an important national site for education, research and tourism focused on geology and fossils.
