Nagaтιтan chaiyaphumensis: Thailand’s 27-Metre “Last тιтan” Rewrites Southeast Asian Sauropod History

In a Scientific Reports paper published May 14, 2026, Thai and international researchers have named Nagaтιтan chaiyaphumensis—the largest dinosaur ever discovered in Southeast Asia. The partial skeleton, found in 2016 by a villager near a communal pond in Chaiyaphum Province, northeastern Thailand, comes from the Early Cretaceous Khok Kruat Formation (~120–100 million years ago).

Estimated at 27 metres long and 25–28 tonnes, this giant somphospondylan тιтanosauriform was longer than a standard pickup truck and heavier than three African elephants. A single front limb bone measures 1.78 metres—taller than most humans. The name combines “Naga,” the legendary serpent of Thai and Southeast Asian mythology, with “тιтan” and the province of discovery.

Phylogenetic analysis places Nagaтιтan within Euhelopodidae, but it does not form an endemic clade with the region’s other known sauropods (Phuwiangosaurus and Tangvayosaurus). Its diagnostic features, including unique hyposphene-hypantrum morphologies in the dorsal vertebrae, highlight greater тιтanosauriform diversity than previously recognised.

Crucially, Nagaтιтan is the geologically youngest sauropod in Thailand—“the last тιтan”—before rising sea levels submerged much of the region later in the Cretaceous. Its mᴀssive size supports models linking Middle Cretaceous warming and expanded dry, open habitats to a boom in giant Asian sauropods.

Discovered by chance and now the 14th named dinosaur from Thailand, Nagaтιтan proves Southeast Asia hosted true giants and forces a re-evaluation of тιтanosauriform biogeography across the continent. The “last тιтan” has finally stepped into the light.