Last Titan Dinosaur in Thailand Was Bigger Than 9 Elephants
Scientists just discovered a massive new dinosaur in Thailand. It is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia. The giant plant-eater stretched nearly 90 feet long. It weighed about 27 tonnes. That is as heavy as nine adult Asian elephants. Researchers named it Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. The first part comes from Thai folklore. “Naga” means a legendary serpent. “Titan” refers to Greek giants. The species name honors Chaiyaphum province, where the fossils were found. This last titan dinosaur Thailand lived between 100 and 120 million years ago. It belonged to the sauropod family. Think of Diplodocus or Brontosaurus. However, Nagatitan is much bigger than Dippy the Diplodocus.
Why “Last Titan” Matters
The fossils came from Thailand’s youngest dinosaur-bearing rock layer. Younger rocks in the region became a shallow sea. Therefore, no dinosaur remains exist there. So this may be the last giant sauropod we ever find in Southeast Asia.“Our dinosaur is big by most standards,” says lead author Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul. He is a Thai PhD student at UCL. “But it is still dwarfed by Patagotitan.”
Life in Ancient Thailand
Nagatitan lived in an arid environment. It shared its home with smaller plant-eaters. For example, iguanodontians and early ceratopsians roamed there. Large predators like spinosaurids also existed. Fish, freshwater sharks, and crocodiles filled the rivers.Researchers identified unique features in its spine and leg bones. A full-size reconstruction now stands at the Thainosaur Museum in Bangkok.“I’ve always been a dinosaur kid,” says Sethapanichsakul. “This study fulfills a childhood promise of naming a dinosaur.”
