Scientists Discover Nagatitan in Thailand, a Dinosaur Weighing as Much as Nine Elephants That Lived Before the T-Rex Era
Scientists have successfully identified Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, a new species of giant dinosaur in Thailand, which has been hailed as the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia. This ancient creature, weighing 27,000 kilograms, is believed to have lived during the Cretaceous period, approximately 40 million years before the emergence of the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex).
This monumental discovery began with reports from local residents in Chaiyaphum Province in 2016, who found fossils near a public pond. After a long excavation process by the Department of Mineral Resources of Thailand, which was completed in 2024, the research results, published in the journal Scientific Reports, confirmed that the fossils were a new species from the sauropod group.
Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis has extraordinary physical characteristics, with a body length reaching 27 meters. Although no skull was found, the remaining fossils, consisting of vertebrae, ribs, and limbs in 113-million-year-old rocks, show a unique structure. Scientists note that this species has longer forelimbs compared to its giant relatives from Argentina.
Sita Manitkoon, a paleontologist from Mahasarakham University, explained that the massive size of Nagatitan evolved independently due to environmental factors.
“The environmental factors in Thailand during the Cretaceous period played a key role in its body size growth,” she said.
During its time, the Thailand region was an ideal habitat for bulk browser groups like Nagatitan. Environmental conditions resembling dry shrubland made it easier for this giant to explore open forests to consume large volumes of vegetation, such as coniferous trees and seed ferns.
Nicknamed the “last titan,” this discovery provides new insights into the independent adaptation of titanisauriform groups in Asia. Currently, a reconstruction of the original size of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis has been displayed in a museum in Bangkok for the public to see.
Facts about Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis:
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