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New Thai Sauropod ‘Nagatitan’ Is Southeast Asia’s Largest Dinosaur

The formal description points to a late-surviving giant in Thailand’s youngest dinosaur-bearing rocks.

Artist reconstruction of the Cretaceous Period sauropod dinosaur Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, whose fossils were unearthed in Thailand, seen in this illustration released on May 14, 2026. Nagatitan is the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia. Patchanop Boonsai/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
A life reconstruction of the Cretaceous dinosaur Duonychus tsogtbaatari, whose fossils were unearthed in Mongolia, is seen in this illustration obtained by Reuters on March 25, 2025. Masato Hattori/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul poses with a front leg bone of the Cretaceous Period sauropod dinosaur Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis at the Sirindhorn Museum in Thailand. Photo: Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul/Reuters
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Overview

  • The peer-reviewed study, published Thursday, May 14, 2026 in Scientific Reports, names Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis from the Early Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation.
  • Researchers estimate the animal at about 27 meters long and 25 to 28 tonnes, with a 1.78‑meter humerus, making it the largest dinosaur known from Southeast Asia.
  • Locals found the bones in 2016 in Chaiyaphum Province, and teams later recovered spine, rib, pelvis, and leg bones after fieldwork resumed with a 2023 National Geographic grant.
  • Analyses place the species in Euhelopodidae, an Asian sauropod lineage, and the authors propose it fits a mid‑Cretaceous shift toward larger bodies that may reflect warmer climates.
  • A life-size reconstruction is now on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum, and the find becomes Thailand’s 14th named dinosaur, giving a lift to the country’s young paleontology community.