Skeletal remains of new dinosaur weighing as much as 9 elephants discovered by scientists: "The last titan"
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered a massive new dinosaur species in Thailand, named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, estimated to have weighed about 27 tons and measured 88 feet long, making it the largest dinosaur found in Southeast Asia.
- The herbivorous sauropod likely lived between 100 million and 120 million years ago and weighed as much as nine adult Asian elephants, surpassing the size of the famous Diplodocus cast known as "Dippy."
- The dinosaur was unearthed in northeast Thailand, with excavation completed in 2024, and is considered "the last titan" due to being found in one of the youngest rock formations containing dinosaur fossils in the region.
- At the time, the largest predator was a relative of Carcharodontosaurus, which was much smaller than Nagatitan, suggesting the sauropod had little threat from predation.
- A life-size reconstruction of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is currently displayed at Bangkok's Thainosaur Museum.