What Is the New Dinosaur Species Found in Thailand?
Researchers have identified a gigantic new species of long-necked dinosaur in Thailand, now considered the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Southeast Asia. The finding comes from a collaboration led by scientists from University College London, Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of Technology, and Thailand's Sirindhorn Museum, and was described in the journal Scientific Reports.
The new dinosaur species is a sauropod — an herbivore with a long neck and tail — that comes from the late Early Cretaceous period, some 100 to 120 million years ago.
How Big Was the New Dinosaur Species — Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis?
Weighing in at an estimated 27 metric tons — nearly 60,000 pounds — and approximately 27 meters, or almost 89 feet, in length, the new dinosaur species dwarfs a large Tyrannosaurus rex, which would have weighed between 9,000 and 15,000 pounds and measured around 39 feet.
The new dinosaur species likely weighed at least 10 tonnes more than Dippy the Diplodocus, one of the most famous sauropods in the world. The single front leg bone recovered measures 1.78 meters — nearly six feet — on its own.
How Was the New Thailand Dinosaur Discovered?
Locals in Chaiyaphum Province of northeastern Thailand were the first to discover the fossils in 2016, embedded in a rock formation along the side of a communal pond during the dry season when water levels were lower. Thailand's Department of Mineral Resources excavated 10 bones, but excavation teams ran out of funding in 2020.
After receiving a grant from the National Geographic Society in 2023, lead researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul — a Thai PhD student at UCL — joined forces with a team of researchers to complete the study. "When I first saw the front leg bone, it was actually taller than me, which was quite surprising," he said.
What Does the Name Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis Mean?
The "naga" in the new dinosaur species name refers to a mythological serpent from South and Southeast Asian folklore, prominently depicted in various Thai temples. "Titan" references the giants of Greek mythology and reflects the animal's size, while "chaiyaphumensis" honors Chaiyaphum Province, where the fossils were unearthed.
Why This Could Be Thailand's Last Giant Dinosaur
The new dinosaur species was discovered in Thailand's youngest dinosaur-bearing rock formation. Younger rocks laid down towards the end of the age of dinosaurs are unlikely to contain further remains because the region had by then become a shallow sea. Researchers believe this may be the last or most recent large sauropod ever found in Southeast Asia.
It is the 14th named dinosaur discovered in Thailand. The country only entered the world of paleontology in 1986, meaning it has been studying dinosaurs for roughly 40 years compared to the more than 200 years of study in other parts of the world.
What Lived Alongside the New Dinosaur Species in Ancient Thailand?
The new dinosaur species co-existed with smaller plant-eating dinosaurs such as iguanodontians and early branching ceratopsians, predatory dinosaurs including carcharodontosaurians and spinosaurids, as well as sharks, turtles, crocodile relatives and pterosaurs in what was then a semi-arid river floodplain environment.
A life-size reconstruction of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is currently on display at the Thainosaur Museum at Asiatique in Bangkok.
