Research
Two teeth found in a Thai coal mine reveal a giant ancient rodent that weighed almost seventy pounds
Earth.com · By Adrian Villellas ·
The Brief
- Two fossil teeth were found in a clay band inside the main coal seam of the Krabi lignite mine in southern Thailand.
- A Thai-French expedition between Thailand's Department of Mineral Resources and French research institutions collected the teeth.
- The teeth belong to a giant ancient rodent reported to have weighed almost seventy pounds.
Why it matters
The find adds to the fossil record of large rodents from Southeast Asia, based on only two teeth recovered from a coal mine.
Who’s affected
- paleontologists and researchers in Southeast Asian fossil records
- #paleontology
- #fossils
- #rodents
- #thailand
- #coal mining
Two teeth lay in a clay band inside the main coal seam of the Krabi lignite mine in southern Thailand. A Thai-French expedition between Thailand’s Department of Mineral Resources and French research institutions collected them, and they belong to a giant rodent weighing about 66…