New giant dinosaur identified after Thailand dig

Researchers believe the dinosaur roamed between 100 and 120 million years ago and is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia

Published May 15, 2026  •  Last updated 18 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

A model skeleton of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, Thailand's largest dinosaur, at the Thainosaur Museum in Bangkok. Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA /AFP

Scientists have identified a new giant dinosaur from remains discovered after a dig in Thailand.

Article content

The long-necked herbivore stretches 27 metres and weighs about 27 tonnes — the weight of about nine adult elephants, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

Article content

Article content

Researchers believe the dinosaur roamed the area that’s now known as Thailand between 100 and 120 million years ago and is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia.

‘Big by most people’s standards’

Researchers from Thailand and the U.K. identified the species from fossils found beside a pond in northeastern Thailand 10 years ago. They said the finding sheds light on how ancient climatic condition changes allowed these giant dinosaurs to develop.

The full name of the newly-discovered dino is Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, with “naga” in reference to a serpent in Southeast Asian folklore, “titan” referring to gods in Greek mythology and chaiyaphumensis deriving “from Chaiyaphum,” the Thai province where the fossils were found, BBC News reported.

“Our dinosaur is big by most people’s standards — it likely weighed at least 10 tonnes more than Dippy the Diplodocus,” lead researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul said, referring to the enormous composite cast that was previously on display at London’s Natural History Museum, per AFP.

Article content

Sethapanichsakul, a Thai PhD student, called the newly found sauropod “the last titan” as it was uncovered in one of the youngest rock formations where dinosaurs are found in Thailand, the University College London noted.

The area later evolved to become a shallow sea, “so this may be the last or most recent large sauropod we will find in Southeast Asia,” Sethapanichsakul said.

A model skeleton of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA /AFP

Excavation completed in 2024

Nagatitans belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that began about 140 million years ago. About 90 million years ago, they became the only sauropods left in the world, thriving until the dinosaur age ended 66 million years ago, thanks to an asteroid strike, Al Jazeera reported. 

The first remains of the giant dinosaur were unearthed by locals a decade ago, but the excavation wasn’t completed until 2024, the study noted. The fossils partially looked like those of previously discovered sauropods, however it had enough unique features to be considered a new species.

A life-size reconstruction is on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum.

Article content