(Pictures) First-ever dinosaur fossil found in HK

The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced Wednesday that Hong Kong has discovered the first-ever dinosaur fossils on home soil, dating about 145 million to 66 million years ago.

Excavated at Port Island -- the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark in the northeastern waters -- the authority said the flat-shaped fossil was attributed to a "large aged dinosaur" in the Cretaceous period.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) informed the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) of DEVB in March this year that the sedimentary rock on Port Island might contain suspected vertebrate fossils.

DEVB then engaged experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences to conduct a comprehensive field investigation in Hong Kong, including the study of fossil specimens, the formulation of management plans, and the discussion of subsequent actions.

After taking a preliminary osteohistological analysis of specimens by the IVPP experts, the specimens have been identified as bone fossils of large aged dinosaur and the fossils dated to the Cretaceous period. 

DEVB said further fossil excavation, preparation of fossils, and scientific research would shed light on the dinosaur species and aid the Bureau in constructing the story of dinosaurs in Hong Kong.

To facilitate further excavations and research on Port Island, access to the entire area of Port Island within Plover Cove (Extension) Country Park will be suspended for the public, effective immediately and remaining in place until further notice.

Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said the discovery is significant and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in the city.

+3