On 23 October of 2024, the Hong Kong government announced the first discovery of dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong, i.e. on Port Island in the northeast waters of the New Territories within Hong Kong Geopark. Experts from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of Chinese Academy of Sciences (IVPP) have preliminarily concluded that the fossils belong to large aged dinosaur from the Cretaceous period (about 145 million to 66 million years ago).
In the following day of the announcement, the Antiquities and Monuments Office of Development Bureau immediately began excavation on Port Island along with IVPP and Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. To date, about 30 fossil-bearing rocks have been excavated. The on-going fossil preparation will facilitate the in-depth study of dinosaur bone fossils to help identify the species and habits of the dinosaurs.
2024 marks the 200th anniversary of dinosaur research, as well as the Year of the “Loong” (Dragon) in the Chinese zodiac. In the nick of time, Hong Kong “caught the tail” of a unique “loong”. Let us meet at “Dinosaur Parlour” and explore Hong Kong’s story of dinosaurs.
| Date: | Starting from 20/12/2024 |
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| Venue: | Courtyard, Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre |
| Opening Hours: | Monday to Wednesday and Friday: 10am – 6pm Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10am – 7pm Christmas Eve and Chinese New Year’s Eve: 10am – 5pm Closed on Thursdays (except public holidays) and the first two days of Chinese New Year |
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Admission Free |
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Remark: Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre may adopt suitable admission and crowd control measures to ensure orderly admission whenever necessary.
