Paleontologists Find First Dinosaur Fossils in Malaysia

The first dinosaur fossils ever discovered in Malaysia have been reported by an international team of paleontologists.

The fossilized dinosaur teeth belonged to a creature in the Spinosauridae family of dinosaurs. These reptiles were bipedal predators that fed on fish.

Researcher Masatoshi Sone, of the University of Malaysia, said his team, which also included paleontologists from Waseda University and Kumamoto University in Japan,has been searching for dinosaur fossils in Malaysia since 2012.

The fossilized teeth were found in the state of Pahang, but the precise location is not being revealed because the researchers are concerned that once the public is aware "some destruction due to lawless excavations by private fossil collectors and/or robbers may happen, as has happened, for example, in Thailand, Laos, and Mongolia," the team said in a statement.

Waseda University's Ren Hirayama, a specialist in reptile paleontology, identified that at least one of the teeth, a sample dubbed UM10575, as a specimen from a spinosaurid dinosaur.

In the statement the researchers described the tooth:

"UM10575 is about 23mm long and 10mm wide. It develops fairly distinct carinae (front and rear edges) with serrations, typical to a tooth of a theropod (carnivorous dinosaur). Well-marked coarse ridges are developed on the surface of the tooth, and the surface bears micro-ornament (very fine sculptures); these characterize a spinosaurid tooth."

It is believed that the Malaysian dinosaur lived in the Cretaceous era (about 145-75 million years ago); it's teeth were found fossilized in stratified rock. There is an ongoing excavation for additional dinosaur fossil specimens at the site.