Scientists have discovered new dinosaurs following Thailand dig | Science and Technology News

Boasting the equivalent weight of nine elephants, Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis had enough unique features to be considered a new species.

Scientists have found the remains of a new type of dinosaur in Thailand, which is said to have weighed up to nine elephants.

“Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis” is a well-known dinosaur from Southeast Asia, and a member of the dinosaur family called sauropods, known for having long necks and tails, small heads and four legs, according to a report published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

The animal stretched 27 meters (89 feet) and weighed about 27 tons, according to research cited in the report.

The dinosaur may have roamed what is now Thailand between 100 and 120 million years ago and is the largest ever found in Southeast Asia, researchers said.

Its head and teeth were not among the fossils found, but researchers have a good idea of ​​what it ate according to other sauropods.

Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, PhD student at University College London in palaeontology and lead author of the study, said:

Sauropods were among the largest land animals recorded in Earth’s history.

Sethapanichsakul also said: “Dippy the Diplodocus weighs 10 tons.” Explaining the many pictures that were on display at London’s Natural History Museum.

A Thai PhD student called the newly discovered sauropod “the last titan” because it was excavated from the smallest rocks where dinosaurs have been found in Thailand.

He also said that it is appropriate to call Nagatitan Southeast Asia the last “titan” because the region became a shallow sea during the Cretaceous period, meaning that there would be no more sauropods.

The Nagatitans belonged to a group of animals called sauropods that originated about 140 million years ago, and about 90 million years ago, they became the only animals left on the planet, thriving until the age of the dinosaurs ended 66 million years ago with the impact of an asteroid.

The first remains of the giant animal were excavated a decade ago by local people in northeastern Thailand, but the excavation will not be completed until 2024, according to the study.

The remains were similar to those of previously discovered sauropods, but they had enough unique features to make them look like new species.

The name Nagatitan refers to the Naga, a serpent-like figure in Asian religious traditions who is depicted in various Thai temples. In total, there are 14 known dinosaurs from Thailand.

An enlarged reconstruction of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis is on display at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum.