Walking among prehistoric giants

A collection of dinosaur specimens, the largest to ever be exhibited, will give visitors a glimpse into the efforts of generations of paleontologists whose discoveries have made China the country with the most diverse species, He Qi reports.

Dinosaur enthusiasts will soon have the opportunity to behold a large number of cherished dinosaur specimens and models at the upcoming China's Dinosaur World exhibition in Shanghai. This unprecedented event brings the most representative dinosaurs from across the country to the public for the first time, according to experts.

On May 18, International Museum Day, three-star dinosaur specimens — Anchiornis huxleyi, Ambopteryx longibrachium, and Sinosaurus triassicus — were unveiled at the Shanghai Natural History Museum, marking the completion of preparations for the exhibition.

Cohosted by the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the exhibition will open to the public on Saturday, presenting 118 specimens and models from 12 museums and research institutions nationwide.

Among the exhibits, approximately 80 are first-class protected paleontological fossils, including 42 holotype specimens of newly named dinosaur species. Thirteen specimens have been featured in top international journals Science and Nature, with two gracing the cover of Nature.

Additionally, over 10 precious fossils are considered national treasures. Several high-value research specimens never exhibited outside research institutions will also be showcased.

"It's the first time for the public to see the most representative dinosaurs from across the country," says Zhou Zhonghe, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, asserting that China began holding dinosaur exhibitions in the 1980s.

Three "massive giants" have joined the B2 atrium of the Shanghai Natural History Museum, including the Ruyangosaurus fossil model from the Henan Natural History Museum, which features a mounted skeleton measuring 38.1 meters, making it one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered.

Additionally, the Mamenchisaurus from the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in Zigong city, Sichuan province, stretches 22 meters in length, with its neck accounting for half the length, will be on display. The Omeisaurus, from the same museum, reaches 20 meters in length and serves as a key representative of the giant sauropod evolution during the Middle Jurassic period dating back 174-163 million years ago.