Two dinosaur fossils discovered in Southwest China
Chinese villagers found two dinosaur fossils in Southwest China's Yunnan Province after they were exposed by a heavy rain, the Beijing News reported on Monday.
Local authorities and experts have started recovery efforts and have found that the discovered dinosaurs were 8 meters long and 3 meters tall.
As the fossils resemble the already discovered Lufengsaurus, researchers judge that they weighed about 4 tons and were herbivorous.
After the fossils are reconstructed, the researchers will carry out some basic research to study each bone and compare them with similar fossils found around the world to see whether these are a new genus or species.
The genus, gender and age of the discovered dinosaurs are still mysteries to be solved, according to You Hailu, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
He added that it may take about a year to restore the fossils due to their size. However, since the dinosaur fossils discovered this time are not well preserved, it will be easier to assemble and restore them compared to fossils that have more characteristic parts such as a skull or teeth.
At present, China has discovered the largest number of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in the world. However, no dinosaur fossils from the Triassic period, the early stage of dinosaur evolution, have been discovered in the country. He gave two explanations for this: Dinosaur fossil from the Triassic period are in China but just haven't been found yet, or dinosaurs hadn't yet entered the region during that period.
Global Times
Local authorities and experts have started recovery efforts and have found that the discovered dinosaurs were 8 meters long and 3 meters tall.
As the fossils resemble the already discovered Lufengsaurus, researchers judge that they weighed about 4 tons and were herbivorous.
After the fossils are reconstructed, the researchers will carry out some basic research to study each bone and compare them with similar fossils found around the world to see whether these are a new genus or species.
The genus, gender and age of the discovered dinosaurs are still mysteries to be solved, according to You Hailu, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology.
He added that it may take about a year to restore the fossils due to their size. However, since the dinosaur fossils discovered this time are not well preserved, it will be easier to assemble and restore them compared to fossils that have more characteristic parts such as a skull or teeth.
At present, China has discovered the largest number of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods in the world. However, no dinosaur fossils from the Triassic period, the early stage of dinosaur evolution, have been discovered in the country. He gave two explanations for this: Dinosaur fossil from the Triassic period are in China but just haven't been found yet, or dinosaurs hadn't yet entered the region during that period.
Global Times
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