Fascination with dinosaur fossils roars to life in Hong Kong

One day late in December, an excited group of young students crowded into the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in the city's Tsim Sha Tsui district. Chatter filled the air as their curious young eyes followed the movements of scientists working behind a glass enclosure.

The scientists were using specialized instruments to meticulously examine stones containing the remnants of a dinosaur from the ancient Cretaceous period, about 145 million to 66 million years ago.

The children peered at the intricate skeletal imprints etched into the rocks, as if the large dinosaur had journeyed through the eons to meet, or terrify, them.

The viewing at the aptly named Dinosaur Parlour exhibition hall, marked the completion of the excavation of the first dinosaur fossils found in Hong Kong. The fossils were discovered on Port Island in the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters of the city.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government announced the remarkable discovery in October and invited experts from the Chinese mainland to join the excavation. Over time, around 30 rocks containing dinosaur fossils were unearthed.

Among the team of experts tasked with excavating and preparing the precious discoveries were Pei Rui and Zhao Qi from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

The nation's top dinosaur researchers vividly recall the sense of anticipation when they began examining the fossils.

Both experts said that the bone structures within the rocks were not readily visible, leading to initial uncertainty about the discovery. However, that uncertainty only added to their excitement when they confirmed the find.

"When I saw the clear dinosaur features under the microscope, I immediately called Pei excitedly, telling him that I was 100 percent sure this was a dinosaur fossil," Zhao said.

"In most people's minds, Hong Kong is a place with skyscrapers everywhere. It's hard for me to imagine finding fossils in such an international metropolis."

Pei said he was aware of Hong Kong's vast country parks, but still found the discovery a new experience.

Typically, the pair's fossil hunts involve traversing vast expanses of the Gobi Desert and other desolate landscapes, based on geological data. Sometimes they have to walk several or tens of kilometers before finding dinosaur tracks.

Uncovering fossils in a small location like Port Island, which spans a mere 0.44 square kilometers, was a first for China, they said. The discovery adds a new location to the nation's dinosaur distribution map, Pei added.