A tooth thought to belong to a new species of ‘bird-hipped’ dinosaur was found in Malaysia this week and researchers have estimated that it is at least 140 million years old. Study leader Masatoshi Sone, from the University of Malaya, said that the team had yet to identify the exact species of dinosaur but mentioned that the discovery could indicate a much larger fossil deposit in the area.
Mr Sone added that the team are ‘very excited to have found the tooth of the order called Ornithischian in central Pahang state.’ Researchers from the Waseda University and Kumamoto University also took part in the project. It has been suggested that the ‘bird-hipped’ dinosaur is from the Ornithischian group that is made up of herbivorous dinosaurs and it would have been about the size of a horse.
The tooth fossil measures 13mm long and 10.5mm wide; it was discovered in a sedimentary rock formation close to where the first Malaysian dinosaur bones were found in 2012, thought to be at least 75 million years old. The exact location of the fossils has been kept a secret in order to preserve them.