Scientists Name Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, Largest Dinosaur Discovered in Southeast Asia

Scientists have identified a new species of giant sauropod dinosaur from fossils unearthed in northeastern Thailand, naming it Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. The creature measured nearly 90 feet (27 meters) long, weighed between 25 and 28 tons — or about 27 tonnes — and is the largest-known dinosaur discovered in Southeast Asia.

It is also the largest and geologically youngest known sauropod from the region.

The fossils were initially spotted by a local villager in Thailand's northeastern Chaiyaphum province. The first remains were unearthed a decade ago by locals in northeast Thailand, but excavation was not completed until 2024. 78 meters) long.

Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis belonged to the sauropod lineage and lived approximately 113 million years ago, between 100 and 120 million years ago. It lived during a period of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and high global temperatures. The ancient climate in the area was likely subtropical, featuring forests alongside savanna-like and shrubland habitats.

The ecosystem included diverse other dinosaurs, pterosaurs, crocodiles, fish and freshwater sharks. 5 tons. At that size it was dwarfed by Nagatitan.

"At full size, Nagatitan likely had very little to fear in terms of predation," Paul Upchurch, a palaeontologist at University College London and co-author of the study, said. "Indeed, sauropods are known to have grown very quickly after hatching, and this probably relates to the dangers of predation.

" Nagatitan belonged to a subgroup of sauropods with numerous internal air sacs and thin-walled bones.

This subgroup originated around 140 million years ago. By 90 million years ago it became the only surviving sauropod lineage worldwide, and sauropods thrived until the asteroid impact 66 million years ago. "Sauropods seem to have become particularly large at this time, with gigantic forms living in South America, China, probably North Africa, and now with Nagatitan a fairly large one in Southeast Asia," Upchurch said.

Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a University College London doctoral student in palaeontology and lead author of the research, said the dinosaur is referred to as "the last titan" of Thailand. "Younger rocks laid down towards the end of the time of the dinosaurs are unlikely to contain dinosaur remains because the region by then had become a shallow sea," he said.

"Our dinosaur is big by most people’s standards.

It likely weighed at least 10 tonnes more than Dippy the Diplodocus," Sethapanichsakul added. " The name Nagatitan references Naga, a serpent-like being in Asian religious traditions depicted in Thai temples. The name includes "chaiyaphumensis" meaning "from Chaiyaphum".

The study was published in Scientific Reports. A life-size reconstruction of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum.