Researchers named it Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, or the “last titan” of Thailand. It is the largest ever discovered in Southeast Asia.
LONDON, UK — A new species of giant, long-necked dinosaur has been identified from fossils found at the edge of a pond in northeastern Thailand, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
It is the largest ever discovered in Southeast Asia.
The newly named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis was a colossal plant-eating sauropod that weighed more than 59,000 pounds and lived more than 100 million years ago. To put that size in perspective, a Tyrannosaurus rex weighed about 15,000 pounds.
The bones were uncovered in 2016 by a local man who described them as “strange-looking rocks on the banks of a public pond.”
Among the recovered bones were several vertebrae and ribs, parts of the pelvis and two leg bones, one of which measured nearly 6 feet long. From that partial skeleton, the research team estimated the animal measured 27 meters in length, about 88 feet or roughly equivalent to a blue whale.
The research was led by scientists from University College London, Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of Technology and Thailand’s Sirindhorn Museum. Lead author and UCL PhD student Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul said that when he first saw the bone, “it was taller than me, and that was quite surprising.” He said the dinosaur is about double the size of another known sauropod species in Thailand.
“Naga” refers to a legendary serpent from Thai and Southeast Asian folklore; “Titan” invokes the giants of Greek mythology; and “chaiyaphumensis” means “from Chaiyaphum,” the Thai province where the fossils were found. It is the 14th dinosaur species officially named in Thailand.
Researchers call Nagatitan “the last titan” of Thailand for a geological reason: It was found in the country’s youngest dinosaur-bearing rock formation. The region later became a shallow sea, meaning younger rocks are unlikely to contain dinosaur remains.
“So this may be the last or most recent large sauropod we will find in Southeast Asia,” Sethapanichsakul said.
During its lifetime, researchers said the animal shared its environment with smaller plant-eaters, large predatory dinosaurs, freshwater sharks and crocodile relatives, and flying reptiles called pterosaurs.
The discovery provides insight into how changes in ancient climate and vegetation opened the doors for gigantic dinosaurs to develop.
“This is the most complete sauropod specimen discovered from the Khok Kruat Formation,” said Pedro Mocho, a paleontologist at the Universidade de Lisboa who was not involved in the study. “Until now, the big dinosaurs in Thailand were known only from bits and pieces of skeletons.”
A life-size reconstruction is now on display at the Thainosaur Museum at Asiatique in Bangkok.
