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Selected material of Asian spinosaurids. (A) Siamosaurus suteethorni (SM-TF2043). (B) Khok Kruat spinosaurid tooth (SM-PNS-2018). (C) A tooth from Nakazato locality, Gunma, Japan (GMNH-PV-999 cast). (D) A tooth from Kanna locality, Gunma, Japan (KDC-PV-0003 cast). (E) Ichthyovenator laoensis dorsal vertebra (cast of MDS BK10). (F) Sam Ran spinosaurid dorsal neural spine (SM-KK14, Samathi et al., in prep.). (G) Ichthyovenator laoensis caudal vertebra (cast of MDS BK10). (H) Phuwiang spinosaurid B caudal vertebra (SM-PW9B-15). Photographs taken by the authors. Not to scale. in Samathi et Puntanon, 2025. |
Abstract
The theropod dinosaur clade Spinosauridae lived on almost all continents during the Cretaceous. It has been suggested that the group originated in Laurasia, likely in Europe. Asian spinosaurid fossils have been discovered in Southeast and East Asia, particularly from Barremian–Aptian deposits of the Early Cretaceous, with some additional evidence from Cenomanian-aged sediments in the Late Cretaceous. The presence of this theropod clade in Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, China, and Japan, may have been influenced by the regression of the Uralian seaway, which temporarily connected Europe and Asia via an ephemeral landbridge. This change likely affected the dispersal of spinosaurids from Europe, facilitating their spread across Asia and shaping their evolution through geographic vicariance. This study reviews the Asian fossil record of Spinosauridae to examine their emergence, paleogeographic distribution, and dispersal patterns. The reports of Asian spinosaurids suggested that the distribution of this clade in Asia is complex and dubious due to the incompleteness of materials and uncertainty of the age of several fossil-bearing strata. The spinosaurid ancestors dispersed along the coastal shoreline from Europe by crossing ephemeral landbridge during pre-Barremian. Then, they spread out to Thailand, Malaysia, southern China, and Japan. The presence of Late Cretaceous spinosaurids in China suggests that Asian spinosaurids persisted until the extinction event of this clade, as happened in western Laurasia and Gondwana during the Cenomanian.
Keywords: Asia, dispersal event, Early Cretaceous, Spinosauridae
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| Selected material of Asian spinosaurids. (A) Siamosaurus suteethorni (SM-TF2043). (B) Khok Kruat spinosaurid tooth (SM-PNS-2018). (C) A tooth from Nakazato locality, Gunma, Japan (GMNH-PV-999 cast). (D) A tooth from Kanna locality, Gunma, Japan (KDC-PV-0003 cast). (E) Ichthyovenator laoensis dorsal vertebra (cast of MDS BK10). (F) Sam Ran spinosaurid dorsal neural spine (SM-KK14, Samathi et al., in prep.). (G) Ichthyovenator laoensis caudal vertebra (cast of MDS BK10). (H) Phuwiang spinosaurid B caudal vertebra (SM-PW9B-15). Photographs taken by the authors. Not to scale. |
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| The regions of Asia (Southeastern Asia + Eastern Asia) from which spinosaurid remains were reported. Abbreviation: (GP), “Grès supérieurs” Formation; (KK), Khok Kruat Formation; (KTD), Kitadani Formation; Mangchuan Formation (MC); (SK), Sao Khua Formation; (TBG), Tembling Group; (XI), Xinlong Formation; Yuasa Formation (YU). |
Adun Samathi and Kridsanupong Puntanon. 2025. The Occurrence of Spinosauridae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) during the Cretaceous of Asia: Implications for Biogeography and Distribution. Thai Geoscience Journal. 6(9), 13–28. https://ph03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TGJ/article/view/3652
การศึกษาการกระจายพันธุ์ทางสัตวภูมิศาสตร์ของสไปโนซอร์ในเอเชีย
นักวิจัยจากหน่วยวิจัยไดโนเสาร์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหาสารคาม ศึกษาการกระจายพันธุ์ทางสัตวภูมิศาสตร์ของไดโนเสาร์กินเนื้อวงศ์สไปโนซอริเด้ หรือพวกไดโนเสาร์กินปลาที่มีกะโหลกและฟันคล้ายจระเข้ และบางชนิดมีกระโดงหลังหรือสันหลังสูง โดยงานนี้ได้โฟกัสที่สไปโนซอริเด้ที่พบในเอเชีย ได้แก่ ไทย ลาว มาเลเซีย จีน และญี่ปุ่น โดยคาดว่าพวกมันอพยพมาจากยุโรปในยุคครีเตเชียสตอนต้น (pre-Barremian หรือก่อน 125 ล้านปีก่อน) ผ่านสะพานแผ่นดินชั่วคราว
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