A New Dinosaur Has Been Found Weighing as Much as 9 Elephants

A newly identified dinosaur from Thailand is giving scientists a bigger picture of what once lived in Southeast Asia. The creature, named Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, was a giant long-necked herbivore that may have weighed around 27 tons, roughly the same as nine adult Asian elephants. It stretched about 88 feet long and lived between 100 million and 120 million years ago.

The discovery is important not only because of its size, but because it may be the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia. Its fossils were first discovered by local people in northeastern Thailand about a decade ago, but the excavation was not completed until 2024. Researchers say the remains had enough unique features to confirm it as a new species.