Bangkok (VNA) – Palaeontologists from Thailand and the UK have announced the discovery of a new species of long-necked dinosaur, named Nagatitan Chaiyaphumensis, believed to be the largest dinosaur ever identified in Thailand and across Southeast Asia.
The newly identified species was recognised from fossils excavated in Ban Phanang Suea village in Chaiyaphum province in northeastern Thailand. The findings were produced through collaboration between researchers from Mahasarakham University and University College London (UCL), and have been published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports
According to the researchers, Nagatitan Chaiyaphumensis belonged to the Titanosauridae family, a group of herbivorous dinosaurs characterised by their long necks and tails. The species is estimated to have measured between 27 and 30 metres in length and weighed more than 26 tonnes.
Scientists believed the dinosaur lived approximately 100–120 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, around 40 million years earlier than Tyrannosaurus rex.
Lead researcher Thitiwut Sethapanichsakul, a Thai doctoral student at UCL, said the team had nicknamed the species “Thailand’s last titan” because the fossils were discovered in the youngest rock layers in the country known to preserve dinosaur remains.
Dr Sita Manitkul from Mahasarakham University said Nagatitan Chaiyaphumensis is the 14th dinosaur species to be formally named in Thailand. He noted that Thailand is regarded as one of Asia’s richest countries in terms of dinosaur fossil diversity./.
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