Giant new dinosaur identified from fossils in Thailand
Researchers say the giant herbivore weighed about 27 tons and is Thailand’s 14th named dinosaur, filling a gap in Southeast Asia’s fossil record.
- On Thursday, researchers announced the discovery of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, a giant plant-eating sauropod unearthed in Thailand roughly 113 million years ago. This dinosaur is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia, measuring almost 90 feet long.
- Rising atmospheric CO2 levels and arid conditions in Early Cretaceous Southeast Asia likely drove the species to evolve such massive proportions. Nagatitan used its long neck and tail to shed heat, thriving in savanna-like environments near meandering rivers.
- Lead author Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul described the specimen as a somphospondylan sauropod belonging to the Euhelopodidae family, unique to Asia. Researchers estimated the dinosaur weighed around 27 tons, with its front leg bone measuring around 5.8 feet long.
- The study, published in Scientific Reports, dubs Nagatitan the 'last titan' of Thailand because the region later transformed into a shallow sea. It marks the 14th dinosaur species named in the country.
- Excavation remains ongoing at the Chaiyaphum Province site, where experts believe additional fossils exist. Sethapanichsakul noted that researchers recently identified other large sauropod remains in a different Thai province, suggesting more discoveries may follow.
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Pakistan Live NewsGiant new dinosaur identified from fossils in Thailand
The study’s co-author, UCL’s Prof Paul Upchurch, said the sauropod family of dinosaurs had become quite large at this time, telling National Geographic: “It seems a little odd that sauropods were able to cope with higher temperature conditions”, as large bodies retain heat and are harder to cool down. Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source The post Giant new dinosaur identified from fossils in Thailand appeared first on RocketNews.
British and Thai scientists have discovered the skeletal remains of a giant dinosaur in northeastern Thailand. The dino lived 113 million years ago and was twice the size of a Tyrannosaurus rex.
A long-necked, herbivorous dinosaur that was twice the size of Tyrannosaurus rex has been discovered by a group of British and Thai scientists.
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