CHINESE DINOSAURS IN MIAMI

During a field trip in 2008, we had the opportunity to visit the Miami Science Museum to have a look at their collection of 14 large skeletons of Chinese Dinosaurs.

The Miami Science Museum worked alongside the Beijing Museum of Natural History to put these spectacular dinosaurs on display, plus another 52 individual specimens, including rare feathered dinosaurs and primitive birds from Liaoning Province.

Principally, China has four fossil rich provinces, Yunnan, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, & Liaoning.

Yunnan Province - more than 100 complete dinosaur skeletons have been discovered, including one of the first large carniverous dinosaurs, Dilophosaurus sinensis. It dates from the Early Jurassic, around 180m years ago. In the first Jurassic Park movie it was shown as an acid spitting small dinosaur with a neck frill. Although great for the film, it was nothing like the real thing.

Sichuan Province - on display was the gigantic skeleton of Mamenchisaurus jugyanensis, a huge 85 foot herbivore from the Jurassic. The neck of this enormous creature was over 30 feet long. It lived during the Late Jurassic, 145m to 150m years ago.

Inner Mongolia - displayed was the small herbiverous dinosaur, Psittacosaurus, of which numerous examples have been discovered. They roamed the plains of Asia during the Early Cretaceous, 130m to 100m years ago.

Liaoning Province - produces some of the most beautifully preserved primitive birds, including Changchengornis, which could fly, but was probably extremely clumsy. It lived during the Early Cretaceous, 125m years ago.

I regret to say that the exhibition has now finished, but the insight into China's Fossil Record was well worth the visit.

THIS EXHIBITION IS NOW FINISHED