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6h ago

Thailand Identifies Nagatitan, Southeast Asia’s Largest Dinosaur

The peer‑reviewed description strengthens evidence for Asian long‑necked giants by adding a new species from 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
Dinosaur fossil
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

Overview

  • Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, formally described Thursday in Scientific Reports, measured about 27 meters and an estimated 25–28 tonnes, making it the region’s largest known dinosaur.
  • The bones came from the Early Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation in Chaiyaphum Province, dated to roughly 100–120 million years ago, and include vertebrae, ribs, pelvic elements, a right humerus, and a mostly complete right femur.
  • Phylogenetic tests place Nagatitan within Euhelopodidae, an Asian group of somphospondylan sauropods, adding support to a mid‑Cretaceous trend toward larger body sizes in warm climates.
  • Local villagers first found the fossils in 2016, work paused in 2020 for lack of funds, and renewed support from the National Geographic Society in 2023 enabled a UCL–Thai team using 3D scanning to complete the study by 2024.
  • A life‑size reconstruction is now on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum, and researchers suggest Nagatitan may be Thailand’s “last titan” because younger rocks in the area shifted to shallow seas unlikely to preserve land dinosaurs.