Bones to pick at China's Dinosaur Valley

From New Strait Times: Bones to pick atChina's Dinosaur Valley
Paleontologists are still mulling on the mystery of how China’s dinosaurs reproduce as well as the reason behind their extinction.

IN Chinese culture, the dragon is a symbol of the highest greatness.

The Chinese proudly identify themselves as long de chuan ren, or descendants of the dragon.

Perhaps this fascination for the creature is derived from a true legend from ancient times instead of a myth.

The idea does not seem as far-fetched after a visit to the Lufeng Dinosaur Valley in Chuxiong, Yunnan, China.

At 10,000 sq metres, the Lufeng Dinosaur Valley is world's largest conservation site of dinosaur fossils, also known as dragon bones to the Chinese.

Located 60km from Yunnan province capital Kunming, the Dinosaur Valley offers visitors an experience not unlike Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park.

On arrival, visitors are greeted by four 28m high marble columns engraved with dinosaur motifs.

A five-minute tramcar ride offers a scenic view before reaching the Dinosaur Base Camp.

Visitors are then led into an air-conditioned exhibition hall with a guided tour on China's pre-historic fossils.

Inside, over 60 genuine skeletons are on display, with the largest fossil being that of Chuanjiesaurus.

Measuring 27m in length, the remains are considered the tallest and largest found in Asia.

The guide also provides interesting facts on these ancient giants.

For example, a carnivorous dinosaur skeleton can be differentiated from a herbivorous one by the claws and teeth.

The herbivore usually has blunt and flat teeth.

A plexi-glass floor built over a massive site, where more than 400 fossils are believed to be buried, allows visitors a glimpse of the fossils in their original condition.

The grand discovery of the fossils, which date back over 240 million years however, still harbour some unsolved mysteries such as how the numerous fossils were found in the same spot and were so well preserved.

Also, not a single egg was found amid the numerous skeletons of various predatory and herbivorous species,

Researchers are still mulling on the mystery of how China's dinosaurs reproduce as well as the reason behind their extinction.

The guide also revealed that the local tribes were known to collect certain bones, such as the vertebrae of a Chuanjiesaurus to use it as an oil lamp.

Some of the fossils were also used to make beads as well as treat diseases.

These practices persisted until Dr Yang Zhongjian (1897-1979), considered the founder of Chinese paleontology and dinosaur studies, excavated China's first dinosaur fossils in Shawan, north west of Lufeng in 1938.

From then, Dr Yang dedicated his life to research and paleontology in China. He has taken charge at the excavation site of the Peking Man in Zhoukoudian.

At the end of the tour, visitors are taken on a 10-minute tram tour of the compound to witness a panoramic view of the surrounding valleys and hills. Life-sized replicas of dinosaurs are strategically placed to demonstrate how the ancient "dragons" may once have roamed the earth