Pieces of dinosaur bones have been discovered in Hong Kong for the first time, on a remote island off the northern part of the city. Photo: SCMPDinosaur fossils dating back 66 million years have been unearthed on Hong Kong’s Port Island, marking a significant discovery for the city’s palaeoecology research. The fossils, believed to belong to sauropods and ornithischians, will be displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre from Friday.
“The discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong,” Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said.
According to authorities, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department informed the Antiquities and Monuments Office that the sedimentary rock on the island contained suspected vertebrate fossils in March.
Mainland Chinese experts from the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a field investigation between June and August.
It was believed the bone fossils could be associated with larger types of dinosaurs, including sauropods and ornithischians, but further study was required to confirm the species.
“Experts speculate that the dinosaur may have been buried under sand and gravel after death, then washed to the surface by a large flood and subsequently reburied at the discovery site,” a bureau spokesman said.
“Due to the scattered distribution and fragmented weathering of the dinosaur bones found, the chances of the dinosaur dying and being buried in the same place after death are relatively low.”
A temporary exhibition space is expected to open at the centre by the end of the year allowing people to observe the experts’ work on the fossils, while the government will devise plans for their long-term display.
The bureau said experts and authorities would continue to excavate and study fossils on Port Island, while also collaborating with universities in Hong Kong and elsewhere to tell the “story of dinosaurs in Hong Kong”.
Experts said the strata on Port Island were similar to ones in Shenzhen and Heyuan in neighbouring Guangdong province, where dinosaur fossils have also been found. But they were hesitant to make any further comparisons given the limited information available.
Michael Pittman, an assistant professor at the School of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a dinosaur expert, called the discovery “very lucky”.
He explained that Hong Kong’s history of volcanic activity made it difficult for fossil preservation.
“It is very lucky for the city to uncover dinosaur fossils,” he said, adding that he himself had searched for them without success.
What poo can teach scientists about dinosaurs and other ancient animals
A few locations in the city had a relatively higher chance of containing fossils than others, including Sai Kung and Port Island, he added.
Plant and animal fossils have been discovered in Hong Kong in the past, including ostracod and ammonite fossils from the early Jurassic and Devonian periods (about 190 million to 400 million years ago). They were found in Plover Cove and Sham Chung in Sai Kung in 2021.
All of Port Island has been closed off until further notice and only approved experts and relevant personnel are allowed into the area. Marine police will patrol the waters around the island, which is part of the city’s geopark and Plover Cove Country Park.
The announcement of the discovery came as the bureau signed an agreement with the institute to deepen exchanges and cooperation in the field of stratigraphy, palaeontology and prehistoric sites.