Southeast Asia's Largest Dinosaur Discovered in Thailand
- Seoyoung Kang
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
June 6, 2026
Seoyoung Kang
A research team from University College London, Mahasarakham University, Suranaree University of Technology, and Sirindhorn Museum officially announced the discovery of the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia. Their study was published in Scientific Reports in May 2026. This discovery adds a new dinosaur species to the fossil record and helps scientists better understand the variety and history of sauropods (a group of dinosaurs eating plants) in Asia.
The dinosaur was named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. Scientists estimate that it was approximately 27 meters long and weighed around 27 tons. That makes it much heavier than Dippy(famous big sauropods), although it was still smaller than Patagotitan. Fossils of the dinosaur, including a huge foreleg bone, ribs, vertebrae, and hip and leg bones, were discovered about ten years ago near a pond in Chaiyaphum Province in northeastern Thailand. The name “Nagatitan” is derived from the Naga, a serpent figure in Southeast Asian mythology, and “Titan,” meaning giant. The species name honors Chaiyaphum Province.
Nagatitan lived during the Early Cretaceous period, around 100 to 120 million years ago. At that time, the area was probably dry or semi-dry with rivers running through it. The dinosaur shared its environment with fish, freshwater sharks, crocodiles, plant-eating dinosaurs, and large meat-eating dinosaurs. Its fossils were found in the youngest dinosaur fossil layer in Thailand. Later, the area was covered by a shallow sea, which made it harder for more dinosaur fossils to form. Because of this, Nagatitan is sometimes called Thailand’s “Last Titan.”
Scientists classified Nagatitan as part of a group called titanosauriforms and placed it in the Euhelopodidae family, which is only found in Asia. This supports the idea that Asia had its own unique group of long-necked dinosaurs and shows that Thailand is one of the most important places in Asia for dinosaur research.
