Dinosaur fossil found in Xinjiang
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E-mail China.org.cn, April 16, 2012
The largest Jurassic dinosaur fossil in China was discovered on April 15, 2012 in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China.
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Chinese paleontologists discovered the largest Jurassic dinosaur fossil in the country so far, in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. [Photo: Xinhua] |
The herbivorous sauropod dinosaur was 35 meters in length, and weighed about 30 tonnes, said professor Sun Ge, deputy executive director of China Research Society of Paleontology.
The fossil was discovered in a stratum of the Middle Jurassic Period, about 165 million years ago.
Paleontologists are continuing the excavation of the fossil, hoping to unearth a complete skeleton, Sun said.
Members of the excavation team have also unearthed a tooth fossil which apparently belonged to a carnosaur not far from the herbivorous dinosaur fossil.
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Map location of the discovery. [Google] |
"We hope the future excavation will help unveil more evidence to suggest what caused the death of this mammoth creature," Sun said.
The excavation team is composed of experts from Jilin University, Shenyang Normal University and Xinjiang Geological Survey Institute. They started the expedition in Shanshan County in October last year.
This region is where Chinese and German experts unearthed the largest cluster of fossilized dinosaur tracks in China in 2008.
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