Scientists Find Fossils Of Southeast Asia's Giant Dinosaur In Thailand

Scientists have discovered the remains of the largest-known dinosaur from Southeast Asia in present-day Thailand. The massive plant-eating dinosaur, named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, lived around 113 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period and is believed to have grown nearly 90 feet (27 meters) long, reported NYPost.

Researchers said the giant dinosaur likely moved through a warm and dry region filled with rivers, forests and shrublands, feeding on treetops with little fear of predators because of its enormous size.

The fossils of Nagatitan were first noticed by a villager in Thailand's northeastern province of Chaiyaphum. Over the following years, scientists excavated several skeletal remains, including spine, rib, pelvis and leg bones.

Among the discoveries was a humerus, or upper front leg bone, measuring 5.8 feet (1.78 meters) long. Using the size of the humerus and femur bones, researchers estimated the dinosaur's body weight to be between 25 and 28 tons.

Nagatitan belonged to the sauropod group of dinosaurs, which were known for their long necks, long tails, small heads and pillar-like legs.

Although the dinosaur's skull and teeth were not recovered, researchers said they could estimate its diet based on other sauropods.

Lead researcher Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a doctoral student in paleontology at University College London, said Nagatitan was likely a bulk browser that ate large amounts of vegetation requiring little or no chewing. He explained that the dinosaur probably fed on plants such as conifers and possibly seed ferns.

The findings of the research were published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

Researchers said the region where Nagatitan lived likely had a subtropical climate with forests, savanna-like landscapes and shrublands. The dinosaur shared its habitat with several other dinosaur species as well as flying reptiles known as pterosaurs.

The rivers in the area were filled with crocodiles and fish, including freshwater sharks.

According to the researchers, the largest predator in the ecosystem was a relative of the giant African meat-eating dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus. The predator was estimated to be around 26 feet (8 meters) long and weigh nearly 3.5 tons.

However, Sethapanichsakul said the predator was still much smaller than Nagatitan. He added that a fully grown Nagatitan likely faced very little threat from predators because of its huge size.