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Scientists have identified a huge new dinosaur from remains found in Thailand. It is estimated to have weighed as much as nine adult Asian elephants.
The herbivore was 27 metres long and weighed about 27 tonnes. This is from a study published in the journal Scientific Reports in April. It likely roamed what is now Thailand between 100 and 120 million years ago. It is the biggest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia.
“Our dinosaur is big by most people’s standards. It likely weighed at least 10 tonnes [10,000kg] more than Dippy the Diplodocus,” Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul said. He was the study’s lead researcher. He was talking about the big dinosaur model that used to be on display at the Natural History Museum in London in the United Kingdom.
He called the newly discovered sauropod “the last titan”. It was in one of the youngest rock formations where dinosaurs are found in Thailand. The area later became a shallow sea.
He added: “So this may be the last or most recent large sauropod we will find in Southeast Asia.”
The first remains of the giant creature were found a decade ago by locals in northeast Thailand. But it was not fully unearthed until 2024.
The remains look a bit like those of sauropods that were found before (see graphic). But it had enough unique features to be a new species.
It has been named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. The name comes from a serpent in Southeast Asian folklore, a giant of Greek mythology and the province of Chaiyaphum where it was found.
A life-size version of the dinosaur is on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum.
