Chongqing Geological Survey Institute announced on November 15 that the institute discovered Neornithischian dinosaur fossil dating back about 170 million years in Yunyang. This is a significant breakthrough the institute has made in the study of the world-class Jurassic dinosaur fossils. Relevant research results have been published in an authoritative international journal.

The dinosaur fossil discovered this time was named the Modaoxi Three Gorges Dinosaur

According to Chongqing Planning and Natural Resources Bureau, the dinosaur fossil found this time was named the Modaoxi Three Gorges Dinosaur. It is a small adult herbivorous dinosaur with a body length of about 1.7 meters. It is slim and nimble and is good at running fast by its two feet. It often appeared in shrub woods.

Modaoxi Three Gorges Dinosaur fossil specimens were excavated in the middle Jurassic Xintiangou Village, Pu’an, Yunyang, Chongqing. The fossil specimens were 55 interconnected postcranial skeletons of Neornithischian dinosaur.

The fossil specimens were 55 interconnected postcranial skeletons of Neornithischian dinosaur.

According to the research results, the dinosaur skeleton has unique morphological characteristics, and it is the specimen of the earliest Neornithischian dinosaur found so far in Asia. Researchers identified it as a new genus and named it as Modaoxi Three Gorges Dinosaur according to the site where it was discovered.

The researcher in charge said that since the discovery of dinosaur fossils in Yunyang in 2015, Chongqing Planning and Natural Resources Bureau had organized a series of work, including excavation, protection, and research. The 208 Geological Survey Team of Chongqing Bureau of Geology and Minerals Exploration, the project undertaker, published an online research paper titled The Earliest Record in Asia: Middle Jurassic Neornithischian Dinosaur Fossil Discovered in Xintiangou Village, Yunyang, Chongqing of China on the prestigious British journal Historical Biology. In the paper, the morphological characteristics of the specimen are described in detail. The discovery is compared with a similar species, and their systematic development is analyzed.

The discovery and research of the Modaoxi Three Gorges Dinosaur is of considerable significance and influence for enriching the research of the middle Jurassic Neornithischian dinosaur community in Yunyang, according to Chongqing Institute of Geological Survey.

Source: Chongqing Daily