Palaeontologists in Thailand have announced the discovery of a new species of dinosaur, based on fossils found in Kalasin Province in the northeastern part of the country.

The herbivorous dinosaur, named Uragasaurus kalasinensis, is estimated to have lived about 150 million years ago. It had an unusually long neck and measured up to 20 metres long, roughly the length of a cricket pitch.

Dr Apirut Nilpanapan of Mahasarakham University, who led the study, told BBC Thai, the BBC’s Thai-language service, that the specimen formed part of a large collection of fossils from the site, first identified in 2008 when a local resident discovered fragments resembling snake scales.

The Phu Noi site, where the discovery was made, yielded a wide variety of fossils from the Late Jurassic period, with more than 90% of the fossils excavated in the area identified as dinosaur remains.

During excavations, the research team also uncovered dinosaur teeth and bones. However, it was a dorsal vertebra, a bone from the middle or upper part of the back, that led to the identification of the new species, owing to its distinctive characteristics.

A CT scan revealed that the dinosaur belonged to Mamenchisauridae, a family of sauropods known for their exceptionally long necks, which likely allowed them to reach vegetation at different heights. Although most fossils from this family have previously been found in China, this marks the first such discovery in Thailand.

The CT scan also revealed unique features, including a Y-shaped arrangement of bony supports known as laminae. Nilpanapan told BBC Thai that these features, and in particular the unique structure of the air sacs within the bones, were “unlike any other dinosaur in the world… that’s what makes it special.“

He added that when he realised the team had discovered a new species, he was so excited that he broke his computer, describing the moment as one of both excitement and relief.

The study was published this week in the journal Scientific Reports.

In May, scientists also identified a separate species of long-necked herbivorous dinosaur, Nagatitan, from fossils excavated in Thailand. Nagatitan is the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia, weighing about 27 metric tonnes, as much as nine adult Asian elephants, and measuring 27 metres in length.