KUALA LUMPUR: A geological operation to search for dinosaur fossils in Pahang carried out by a team of paleontology researchers from Universiti Malaya (UM) has been hampered by insufficient funding.
The university’s Geology Department head, Assoc Prof Dr Ismail Yusoff said the cost of the research was very high as it involved exploration below the earth’s surface.
While appealing for funds from the government and private sector for the research to be continued, he said the research effort had so far only received an internal grant from UM and contributions
from the team members themselves.
He told this to reporters after a public lecture on the dinosaur fossil discovery, here, yesterday.
The lecture was meant to give in-depth information on the validity of the findings and to display two fossil dinosaur teeth discovered by a research team headed by Assoc Prof Dr Masatoshi Sone from Japan.
Dr Sone said long-term investment was needed to enable the research to continue while stressing that the discovery of more dinosaur fossils would enhance the learning progress in the field of paleontology in this country.
He said the discovery showed there was a big possibility that more dinosaur fossils could be found in the peninsula like the states of Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.
The team discovered two fossil dinosaur teeth believed to be from the herbivorous and carnivorous species in the rural interiors of Pahang.
The first fossil tooth discovered was named Sample UM10575 belonging to a spinosaurid dinosaur (known as a carnivorous fish-eating dinosaur) and it measured 23mm long and 10mm wide.
The second, measuring 13mm long and 10.5mm wide, was named Sample UM10580 and believed to belong to the armoured dinosaur (a herbivorous species).
Department of Museums director-general, Datuk Ibrahim Ismail also attended the public lecture. — Bernama