Scientists from the United Kingdom and Thailand have identified a new species of giant long-necked sauropod dinosaur named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis.
The discovery marks the largest dinosaur fossil ever found in Southeast Asia. It provides critical data to fill gaps in the regional dinosaur record and helps researchers understand the distribution of massive herbivores during the Late Cretaceous period.
The fossils were uncovered in the Chaiyaphum province of northeastern Thailand during a routine paleontological dig [1, 4]. The animal lived approximately 120 million years ago [2, 3], though some estimates place its age more broadly at more than 100 million years ago [1].
Measuring 27 meters in length [1], the creature is the longest-necked dinosaur known from the region [2]. Its estimated weight was 27 tonnes [1], a mass equivalent to roughly nine adult Asian elephants [3].
The research team led the excavation and subsequent analysis of the remains [1]. The findings confirm that Southeast Asia supported some of the largest land animals to ever exist, challenging previous assumptions about the size and diversity of prehistoric fauna in the area.
Because the fossils were found beneath a pond, the site provided a unique preservation environment for the skeletal remains [3]. The identification of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis allows paleontologists to compare the species with other titanosaurs found across the globe.
“Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is the largest dinosaur fossil ever found in Southeast Asia.”
The discovery of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis shifts the understanding of prehistoric biodiversity in Southeast Asia. By proving that giant sauropods inhabited this region 120 million years ago, scientists can better map the migration patterns and evolutionary adaptations of titanosaurs across the supercontinent of Gondwana and its fragmented remnants.
