KOH KONG: Cambodia has found what appears to be dinosaur fossils in Koh Kong province. The fossils were first discovered back in March 2021 by the Ministry of Environment’s archeological team on Koh Por next to the Tatai Wildlife Sanctuary, in Bak Klang commune, Mondul Seima district of Koh Kong province.

The Director of the Office of the Heritage Area Department of the General Department of Local Communities, Lim Vanchan, has told EAC News that experts initially concluded that the found fossils are part of a dinosaur’s three-meter-long left leg bone.

He confirmed that the fossils were found accidentally in the sandstone layer below Koh Por, and measure 70 cm in length and 20 cm in width. While the fossils are not yet confirmed to be that of a dinosaur’s, the archeological team has studied the sandstone layer and identified that they likely date back 65 to 190 million years.

"It is much older than any living elephant in the world," said Lim Vanchan. "The rock we see is more than 65 million years old. We studied the fossils, the rocks, the soil, and the biodiversity. We found the fossils on Koh Por, but the island is on a hill next to the estuary. So, to study the fossils we looked at the topography of Koh Por connected to the Kravanh Mountains, which are between 65 to more than 100 million years old, and are abundant with rocks."

"We found the fossils in sandstone (like the rocks in Kulen mountain, which are used in Angkor), and the geology of the Kravanh Mountains is sandstone as well. The data that we link to is consistent with the general data, so we can generally say the fossils date between 65 million years and almost 200 million years old," he further added.

Lim Vanchan stated that archeologists will dig up the stone containing the fossil and will transfer it to the Ministry of Environment for further research.

He added that in November, French and Swiss fossil researchers are expected to come to Cambodia to study the fossils and determine the exact age and species of dinosaur. He said it would take at least another year to complete the study of the fossils.

"We took the fossils out of the rocks, we did not take out just the bones, so it took us months to dig out the bones for further study," he said.

Once the exact history of the found fossils is studied and unveiled, the Ministry of Environment will plan to display it at the Natural Museum. Additionally, Lim Vanchan said that more experts will continue to search and excavate around the same location in Koh Por to see if more dinosaur fossils can be found.

"There may be more dinosaur fossils, but it's just that the area is about 30 meters below the mountain, so it's not easy [to excavate]," he said. "It's just a coincidence that we found these fossils. By the end of this year, we plan to open a five-square-meter search, and we will open research around the area on skeletons and other dinosaur fossils."

For Lim Vanchan, the discovery of the first dinosaur fossils in Cambodia is an opportunity for researchers and scholars to explore and better understand fossils from around the world.

He said that the mission to find old fossils in Cambodia began in 2019, and since then, archaeologists have found numerous fossils in 43 different fossil stations, including include marine fossils, tree fossils, potential dinosaur fossils and more.