Dinosaur fossils discovered for first time in Hong Kong

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A Chinese Academy of Sciences expert collecting fossil specimens on Hong Kong's  Port Island.

A Chinese Academy of Sciences expert collecting fossil specimens on Hong Kong's Port Island.

PHOTO: INFO.GOV.HK

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Scientists have discovered dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong for the first time, the city’s government announced on Oct 23, adding that the species remains unknown.

Experts from Hong Kong and mainland China identified the fossils as belonging to a large, aged dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, around 145 million to 66 million years ago, the Development Bureau said in a statement.

The first humans are believed to have appeared on earth around six million years ago.

Further analysis will be conducted to confirm the species of the dinosaur, the statement said.

The fossils will be put on public display from Oct 25, it added.

They were discovered on Hong Kong’s remote, north-eastern Port Island, where suspected vertebrate fossils were first spotted in sedimentary rock in March.

The small, uninhabited outlying islet – part of Hong Kong’s 150 sq km Unesco Global Geopark – has been closed from Oct 23 for further excavations. AFP

A Chinese Academy of Sciences expert preparing a rock containing dinosaur fossils.

PHOTO: INFO.GOV.HK

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