Scientists unearth Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur in Thailand after villager spots remains
Researchers have estimated its body mass to be between 25 and 28 tonnes, the equivalent of roughly 20 average-sized cars
Researchers have identified a new species of dinosaur in Thailand, the largest ever unearthed in Southeast Asia.
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The dinosaur, known as Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, measured almost 27 metres long and lived roughly 113 million years ago in what is now Thailand.
A partial skeleton of the species was unearthed in the northeastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum, after a villager spotted the fossil remains.
Scientists have estimated its body mass to be between 25 and 28 tonnes, the equivalent of roughly 20 average-sized cars.
"At full size, Nagatitan likely had very little fear in terms of predation," Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, lead author of the research, said.
After its discovery, scientists over a period of years dug up spine, rib, pelvis and leg bones, including a front leg bone - the humerus - measuring 5.8 feet (1.78 meters) long.
The Nagatitan is thought to have roamed roughly 113 million years ago, making it a Cretaceous Period dinosaur.
The species is a member of the dinosaur lineage called sauropods, known for having a long neck, long tail, small head and four columnar legs.
Nagatitan's name references Naga, a serpent-like being in some Asian religious traditions that is prominently depicted in various Thai temples.
Altogether, there are 14 named dinosaurs known from Thailand.
The names of several large sauropods include the word titan.
Sethapanichsakul, who published his research in the journal Scientific Reports on Thursday, said it might be appropriate to call Nagatitan Southeast Asia's last "titan" because the region became a shallow sea later in the Cretaceous, meaning no more sauropods would live there.