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- Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur (nbcnews.com)
A newly discovered dinosaur species, Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, has been identified as the largest dinosaur known from Southeast Asia. This colossal herbivore, measuring nearly 90 feet in length, roamed what is now northeastern Thailand approximately 113 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period.
Nagatitan belongs to the sauropod group, characterized by their long necks, long tails, small heads, and sturdy, pillar-like legs. The fossilized remains-including spine, ribs, pelvis, and notably a 5.8-foot-long front leg bone-were initially found by a local villager in Chaiyaphum province and excavated by scientists over several years.
Researchers estimate the dinosaur’s weight to be between 25 and 28 tons, based on the size of its humerus and femur bones. Although the skull and teeth were not recovered, paleontologists infer from related sauropods that Nagatitan was likely a bulk feeder, consuming large quantities of easily digestible vegetation such as conifers and seed ferns.
The environment Nagatitan inhabited was subtropical, featuring a mix of forests, savanna-like areas, and shrublands. It shared its habitat with other dinosaurs, flying reptiles known as pterosaurs, and diverse aquatic life including crocodiles and freshwater sharks. The apex predator of this ecosystem was a relative of the giant Carcharodontosaurus, measuring about 26 feet long and weighing 3.5 tons-significantly smaller than Nagatitan, which likely faced little threat from predators once fully grown.
Lead author Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a doctoral student at University College London, explains that large sauropods like Nagatitan were generally safe from predation due to their immense size, though vulnerable individuals such as juveniles, the elderly, or infirm might have been targeted. Co-author Paul Upchurch notes that rapid growth after hatching was probably an evolutionary adaptation to reduce predation risk.
While Nagatitan was enormous, it was not as massive as some South American sauropods, such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan, which exceeded 100 feet in length. The name Nagatitan pays homage to the “Naga,” a serpent-like figure significant in Asian religious traditions and Thai temple art. Thailand is home to 14 named dinosaur species, with several large sauropods incorporating “titan” in their names, underscoring their impressive size.
This discovery sheds light on sauropod diversity in Southeast Asia, a region with relatively few known specimens. Nagatitan is the largest and most recent sauropod identified from this area. It belonged to a subgroup distinguished by lightweight bones featuring internal air sacs, a trait that helped support their massive bodies.
These sauropods emerged around 140 million years ago and eventually became the dominant large herbivores worldwide, thriving until their extinction 66 million years ago. Nagatitan lived during a period of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and elevated global temperatures, conditions that may have influenced sauropod gigantism.
“Sauropods appear to have reached particularly large sizes during this warm phase, with giant species found across continents including South America, China, and North Africa,” Upchurch said. He added that the relationship between climate and dinosaur body size is complex but likely linked to changes in available vegetation.
The discovery of Nagatitan offers a valuable glimpse into the ecosystems of ancient Southeast Asia and the evolutionary adaptations of some of Earth’s largest land animals during a dynamic period in the planet’s history.
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- Scientists dig up Southeast Asia’s largest dinosaur (nbcnews.com)