The name Phuwiangosaurus Sirindhornae suggests the dinosaur's Thai heritage.

Phuwiangosaurus is the combination of two words: phu wiang and saurus. Phu Wiang is a district in the Northeast where sauropod fossils were first discovered, and saurus means lizard. They stand for "Lizard of Phu Wiang".

The word Sirindhornae, meanwhile, comes directly from the name of the Princess.

Having a keen interest in palaeontology, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has visited excavation sites a number of times.

"When this new dinosaur species was found in Thailand, we asked for permission to name the ancient creature after the Princess," Geology Museum and Fossil Research Office director Dr Varavuth Suthitorn said. "We intended to honour her".

He says Sutham Yaemni-yom was exploring for uranium in Khon Kaen's Phu Wiang three decades ago when he discovered a big, unusual bone. Examinations strongly suggested the bone belonged to a dinosaur. A French palaeontologist said this dinosaur was a sauropod that walked on four legs. But no one could establish its species.

Several years later, more dinosaur fossils were unearth-ed in Phu Wiang. The ancient skeletons pointed to the fact that this sauropod reached a length of 20 metres during adulthood. By 1994, it became clear the sauropod had never been found elsewhere before, and that it had lived during the early Cretaceous period.

"Because we are the first ones to register this species, we have the right to name it," Varavuth said.