Cool Finds

A Man Spotted Strange-Looking Rocks Near a Pond in Thailand. They Turned Out to Be the Bones of a Massive New Dinosaur Species

Paleontologists have dubbed the long-necked, plant-eating creature “Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis.” It’s the 14th named dinosaur from Thailand, and it might be the biggest one ever found in Southeast Asia

Sarah Kuta | Daily Correspondent

May 15, 2026 10:00 a.m.

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Paleontologists in Thailand have identified a new dinosaur—and it may be the largest one ever unearthed in Southeast Asia.

Named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, the long-necked, plant-eating behemoth likely stretched more than 88 feet long and weighed nearly 30 U.S. tons as it lumbered around 100 million to 120 million years ago, according to a study published May 14 in the journal Scientific Reports.

The bones were discovered in 2016 in Chaiyaphum Province, located in northeastern Thailand, after a local man named Thanom Luangnan spotted some unusual-looking rocks protruding from the banks of a public pond, reports National Geographic’s Riley Black. The strange specimens weren’t rocks, however, but the fossilized remains of a prehistoric giant.

Initial excavations unearthed ten bones, including a six-foot-long front leg bone. That fossil “is actually taller than me, which is quite surprising,” study co-author Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a paleontologist at University College London, tells ABC News’ Briana Alvarado. The project stalled in 2020, when funding ran dry, but picked up again in 2023 with a grant from the National Geographic Society.

When paleontologists analyzed the remains—which included vertebrae, ribs and hip and limb bones—they realized they had stumbled upon a new genus and species—and an enormous one at that. “This dinosaur is very unique for us, especially in Southeast Asia, because of its size,” Sethapanichsakul tells ABC News. “It is massive in comparison to what we currently know of.”

They named the genus after “Naga,” a large, serpentine creature depicted in Southeast Asian folklore, and “Titan,” from Greek mythology. The species name’s inclusion of “Chaiyaphum” is a nod to the province where the fossils were found.

N. chaiyaphumensis was a big sauropod, but it was far from the largest of this class. It wasn’t as long as Argentinosaurus or Patagotitan, which likely measured more than 100 feet long, and it wasn’t as hefty as Dreadnoughtus, which may have weighed around 65 U.S. tons.

N. chaiyaphumensis lived during the Cretaceous period. At that time, Thailand was closer to the equator than it is now. The climate was warm due to rising levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, and the landscape consisted primarily of open, dry shrublands and savannahs, but also some forests—perfect conditions for huge plant-eating dinosaurs to evolve.

After N. chaiyaphumensis’ time, dinosaurs got even bigger, reaching peak body size about 10 million to 15 million years later. Scientists don’t fully understand the link between large body size and ⁠high temperatures, but they suspect that herbivores were able to grow so large because plenty of plants were around for them to eat.

“Sauropods seem to have become particularly large at this time, with gigantic forms living in South America, China, probably North Africa, and now with [N. chaiyaphumensis], a fairly large one in Southeast Asia,” study co-author Paul Upchurch, also a paleontologist at University College London, tells Reuters’ Will Dunham.

N. chaiyaphumensis was likely a “bulk browser” that spent much of its time gulping down vegetation that didn’t require much chewing, such as conifers and seed ferns, Sethapanichsakul tells Reuters. At the time, the fiercest predator around was probably Carcharodontosaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur around 26 feet long. But even Carcharodontosaurus was no match for a healthy adult N. chaiyaphumensis.

“At full size, [N. chaiyaphumensis] likely had very little to fear in terms of predation,” Sethapanichsakul tells Reuters.

Discovering a new species is a lifelong goal of many scientists. But in Thailand, the identification of N. chaiyaphumensis is especially significant. It’s just the 14th named dinosaur from the country, where paleontologists began studying the prehistoric beasts only four decades ago. Sethapanichsakul hopes all the buzz around N. chaiyaphumensis will inspire even more interest in the field.

“We are trying to get people, especially in rural areas, to understand the values of paleontology,” he tells ABC News. “Having a brand-new dinosaur to announce to get people excited for really helps that out.”

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Sarah Kuta is a writer and editor based in Longmont, Colorado. She covers history, science, travel, food and beverage, sustainability, economics and other topics.