Giant Nagaтιтan: Southeast Asia’s Largest Sauropod Discovered in Thailand!

Paleontologists have formally described Nagaтιтan chaiyaphumensis, the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia and the youngest sauropod known from Thailand — a true “last тιтan” that rewrites the final chapter of giant dinosaur evolution in the region.

Described May 14, 2026, in Scientific Reports by a Thai–British team led by Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul (University College London) and Sita Manitkoon (Mahasarakham University), the partial skeleton was discovered beside a village pond in Chaiyaphum Province within the Early Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation (~100–120 million years ago). The bones — including mᴀssive humeri, vertebrae, and ribs — allow researchers to estimate a body length of 27 meters and a mᴀss of approximately 27 tonnes, equivalent to nine adult Asian elephants.

Nagaтιтan belongs to the Euhelopodidae, a family of тιтanosauriform sauropods previously known mainly from China. Its discovery dramatically expands their geographic range and shows that warm, open habitats in Southeast Asia favored the evolution of truly colossal forms. “We call it the ‘last тιтan’ of Thailand,” Sethapanichsakul said, “because it comes from the youngest dinosaur-bearing rocks in the country — after which the region became a shallow sea and sauropods vanished.”

CT scans reveal sophisticated air-sac systems supporting the enormous neck, while bone histology confirms rapid growth rates typical of giant тιтanosaurs. The find also strengthens evidence that Southeast Asia served as a major refugium for sauropod lineages long after they declined elsewhere.

As more material from the Khok Kruat Formation is prepared, Nagaтιтan promises to illuminate how these gentle giants achieved record sizes right up to the edge of regional extinction. A true Southeast Asian colossus has finally claimed its place in the dinosaur hall of fame. (