Dinosaur fossils found in China are world's largest collection
More than 7,600 fossils have been recovered from a 980 ft-long pit near Zhucheng city over the last seven months, and the number is still rising, according to Zhao Xijin, the palaeontologist in charge of the project.
The finds include the remains of a 65 ft-long hadrosaurus, which could be a record size for the duck-billed dinosaur. In addition, the first ceratopsian skull to be found outside of North America has been excavated.
Mr Zhao said the majority of the fossils dated from the late Cretaceous period, leading up to when dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago. He said the area was originally marshland and an ideal environment for duck-billed hadrosaurs.
Zhucheng, known locally as China's "Dinosaur City," has produced dinosaur fossils in some 30 sites, since the first major field was discovered in the 1960s by a team searching for oil.
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The finds include the remains of a 65 ft-long hadrosaurus, which could be a record size for the duck-billed dinosaur. In addition, the first ceratopsian skull to be found outside of North America has been excavated.
Mr Zhao said the majority of the fossils dated from the late Cretaceous period, leading up to when dinosaurs became extinct around 65 million years ago. He said the area was originally marshland and an ideal environment for duck-billed hadrosaurs.
Zhucheng, known locally as China's "Dinosaur City," has produced dinosaur fossils in some 30 sites, since the first major field was discovered in the 1960s by a team searching for oil.