Recently a large number of dinosaur fossils were discovered in the Erlianyanchi Dinosaur Reserve in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. With an area of about 80 square meters and many dinosaur skeleton fossils of different sizes, it is reported to be the largest dinosaur fossil discovery site in Asia. According to experts, the artifacts from the site, which has been deemed a “dinosaur graveyard,” will help further resolve the reason for the dinosaurs’ sudden extinction during the Cretaceous period.
According to Xinhua net, the most notable aspect of this discovery is that fossils of meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs were found overlapping one another and were still intact in a natural biological condition. This is seldom seen and is difficult even for experts to make sense of.
According to the report, ten complete dinosaur skeleton fossils of different sizes have been uncovered at the discovery site—the largest more than ten meters long and the smallest just over one meter long. Among the most noteworthy of the finds is a rarely-seen dinosaur head fossil. These fossils were found buried under a dune over seven meters high.
It was reported that the digging process of the site has been temporarily suspended because, according to a preliminary estimation by the individuals involved, the find may extend to several hundred square meters and would thus be incredibly valuable to the scientific community. Experts will be invited to join the investigation and analyze the true reason for the graveyard’s formation.
The report has also pointed out that the Erlianyanchi excavation site likely formed during the late Cretaceous-Period, between 65 million and 70 million years ago, during the time in which dinosaurs are thought to have become extinct. It is hopeful that research into this discovery will help resolve some of the mysteries surrounding the catastrophic extinction of the dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period.
