All articles tagged with #sauropod
Paleontologists in southern China report Yantaloong lini, a Middle Jurassic sauropod likely within Turiasauria—the first turiasaurid documented in East Asia. The vertebrae fossils reveal a mosaic of advanced and primitive traits, suggesting a transitional form toward Neosauropoda and helping fill a gap in East Asian sauropod evolution, though its exact placement varies among analyses.
Patagotitan mayorum, a titanosaur from Patagonia, weighed about 57 tonnes and stretched 37 meters, making it the largest known land animal. Found in 2010 from remains of six individuals, with over 200 bones recovered, it reveals rapid growth from hatchling to giant and a plant-based diet supported by a long neck; adults faced few threats from predators and likely shaped their ecosystem as ecological engineers.
A new mamenchisaurid sauropod, Uragasaurus kalasinensis, is described from Thailand’s Phu Kradung Formation based on a well-preserved anterior dorsal vertebra (PRC 460). Phylogenetic analyses place it as an early-branching member of Mamenchisauridae, extending the clade’s Southeast Asian distribution. Notable features include a unique Y-shaped intraprezygapophyseal lamina and camellate internal pneumaticity revealed by CT, with implications for Late Jurassic age of the formation and sauropod diversity in Southeast Asia during the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition.
A fossil bone tucked away in the British Antarctic Survey archives for 40 years has been confirmed as Antarctica's earliest dinosaur, a Late Cretaceous sauropod tail vertebra from James Ross Island. Reanalyzed by BAS scientists, the lithostrotian titanosaur adds to Antarctica's rare dinosaur record and could shed light on Gondwana dispersal; the find, published in Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, is only the second sauropod fossil known from the continent.
Thai researchers and UCL collaborators describe Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, an Early Cretaceous sauropod about 27 meters long and ~28 tons—the largest dinosaur yet found in Southeast Asia—discovered in 2016 in Thailand’s Khok Kruat Formation; bones include eight vertebrae, ribs, pelvis parts, a humerus and a femur, with 3D surface scanning used to model the specimen for study, and the species name honors the Naga myth and Chaiyaphum province; the study, published in Scientific Reports (2026), notes it may be among the last giant sauropods in the region, though heavier giants like Patagotitan exceed it.
A 2016 discovery of unusually large bones along a dried pond edge in Chaiyaphum, Thailand, led to a decade of excavations and analysis that culminated in May 2026 with the identification of a new sauropod species, Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis. Weighing about 27 tonnes and 27 meters long, it is the largest dinosaur found in Southeast Asia, living in the Early Cretaceous (~100–120 million years ago) and likely representing the last of its kind in the region. The skull was not recovered, and the name honors local culture (Naga) and the discovery site (Chaiyaphum).
Thai researchers announce Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, a roughly 30-ton, 90-foot-long sauropod—the largest dinosaur found in Southeast Asia—providing new insights into Early Cretaceous gigantism; fossils include multiple bones (spine, pelvis, ribs, legs) and a front leg bone nearly 6 feet long, with excavations continuing.
Scientists have identified a new giant sauropod dinosaur, estimated to weigh about 50–60 metric tons—roughly the weight of nine elephants—shedding light on the upper limits of dinosaur size and sauropod evolution.
Scientists in northeastern Thailand identified a new giant sauropod, Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, estimated to be about 88 feet long and 27 tons—potentially the largest dinosaur found in Southeast Asia—dating to roughly 100–120 million years ago. Discovered by locals, with excavation completed by 2024, the species earned the nickname “the last titan” and is now featured as a life-size reconstruction at Bangkok’s Thainosaur Museum after a study published in Scientific Reports.
In northeastern Thailand, researchers uncovered skeletal remains of Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, a massive sauropod about 90 feet long and weighing roughly 25–28 tons, dating to ~113 million years ago. The find highlights Southeast Asia’s sauropod diversity and paints a picture of a subtropical, riverine ecosystem with predators and other dinosaurs, expanding understanding of how these giant herbivores lived and why they grew so large.
A new giant long-necked sauropod, Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, has been identified from fossils found in northeastern Thailand. Dated to 100–120 million years ago, it weighed about 27 tonnes and measured roughly 27 meters, making it the largest dinosaur ever found in Southeast Asia and offering clues on how ancient climate changes may have fueled the rise of gigantic dinosaurs.
A shepherd in Patagonia helped uncover a 65-foot sauropod, Bicharracosaurus dionidei, dating to about 155 million years ago. The skeleton shows a surprising mix of brachiosaurid and diplodocid features, suggesting it may be the first Jurassic brachiosaurid identified in South America and offering new clues about sauropod evolution in Gondwana.
A new long-necked sauropod, Dasosaurus tocantinensis, from Maranhão, Brazil, dating to about 120 million years ago, was found eight meters underground at a construction site; at roughly 20 meters long, it is the largest known Brazilian dinosaur from the region and is closest to a Spanish species, Garumbatitan morellensis, implying a European lineage that dispersed to South America via Africa around 140–120 million years ago and suggesting earlier intercontinental faunal exchange; the discovery expands northeastern Brazil’s dinosaur record and highlights construction sites as windows into ancient ecosystems, though dating uncertainties remain and researchers plan further excavations with the site owner.
In the Dinoplagne site of the Ain region in the Jura mountains, researchers report a 155-meter-long, exceptionally well-preserved sauropod trackway dating to the early Tithonian stage of the Late Jurassic. This extends the record for the longest sauropod footprint sequence and provides detailed clues about the giant animal’s gait and size; a 2009 discovery at Dinoplagne identified a much shorter track (about 35 meters) but likewise highlighted the site’s significance. The footprints, attributed to a titanosaur, are preserved with sharp edges and intricate details, and the site remains open to visitors as scientists continue to study this geological treasure.
In China’s Sichuan Basin, scientists describe Tongnanlong zhimingi, a giant sauropod potentially 75–92 feet long from the Late Jurassic Suining Formation (~147 million years ago). The incomplete skeleton was found during construction in Chongqing’s Tongnan District and, with bones like vertebrae and limb elements, researchers estimated its size and confirmed it belonged to the Mamenchisauridae family, known for long necks and lightweight bones. The site’s lake‑shore wetland context and well‑preserved remains suggest rapid burial, supporting a model of large-bodied dinosaurs in a hydrated ecosystem. The find also informs broader questions about Jurassic biogeography, including the East Asian Isolation hypothesis, hinting that eusauropods were distributed beyond East Asia rather than being strictly regional.”,