Dinosaur 3x size of London BUS roamed Asia 120 million years ago

"The monstrous creature would have grown to 88 feet (27 metres) in length and weighed 27 tonnes - as much as nine adult Asian Elephants. That makes this dinosaur, dubbed Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, the biggest ever found in South-East Asia. After analysing its skeletal remains, scientists say the gentle giant was a member of the sauropod family, which includes the largest creatures ever to walk the Earth."

"Co-author Thitwoot Sethapanichsakul, a PhD student at University College London, told the Daily Mail that Nagatitan took on 'the role of a mega herbivore browsing on the treetops without much fear of predation due to their sheer size.' He added: 'Much like other sauropods, Nagatitan was probably a bulk browser that focused on consuming high volumes of vegetation that require little to no chewing.'"

"Between 100 and 120 million years ago, when Nagatitans wandered through South-East Asia, Thailand would have been a very different environment from today. Rather than sub-tropical and humid, the region would have been more arid, featuring forests alongside savanna-like and shrubland habitats. The area where this specimen was found would also have been part of a meandering river system, home to fish, freshwater sharks, and crocodiles."

"As for potential predators, the Nagatitan shared its home with relatives of the Spinosaurus and the giant African meat-eating dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus. But, with the largest of these predators reaching just 26 feet (8 metres) long and around 3.5 tons, Nagatitan would have dwarfed even the fiercest carnivores."

Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis lived in South-East Asia about 120 million years ago. Its remains indicate a length of 88 feet and a mass of about 27 tonnes. The dinosaur belonged to the sauropod family, which includes some of the largest animals to have walked Earth. The bones were discovered near a pond in Thailand’s Chaiyaphum region and excavated over years, including spine, ribs, pelvis, and a large front leg bone. The animal is described as a gentle mega herbivore that browsed treetops with little fear of predation due to its size. Its diet likely involved consuming large volumes of vegetation requiring little or no chewing. The habitat was more arid than today, with forests, savanna-like areas, and shrubland, alongside a meandering river system with fish, freshwater sharks, and crocodiles. Potential predators included spinosaur relatives and large theropods, but Nagatitan would have dwarfed them.

Read at Mail Online