Zigong Dinosaur Museum

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Yangchuanosaurus at the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Dinosaurs at the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

One of the excavation pits of the Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Mamenchisaurus youngi, Zigong Dinosaur Museum

Located near the Prefecture-level city of Zigong in the smaller township of Dashanpu, is the Zigong Dinosaur Museum. The museum sits on top of a large concentration of Dinosaur fossils - both in terms of quantity but also of diversity. The museum claims the largest number of Dinosaur fossils in the world and is the first dinosaur museum in China. The remains are from a layer called the Meso-Jurassic period.

The museum covers 25,000 square meters with a display area of 3,600 square meters.

In 1980s, vast dinosaur fossils were excavated in the Dashanpu Formation, 7 km north-east from downtown Zigong, including a dinosaur named after the township, Dashanpusaurus. Because of the unique and intact bone remains, Zigong has ever since been attracting paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts from around the world. In 1987, the Zigong Dinosaur Museum (自貢恐龍博物館) was established, becoming the first specialized dinosaur museum open in Asia. Mounted specimens include Omeisaurus, Gigantspinosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus, Huayangosaurus and Xiaosaurus.