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Hong Kong's First Dinosaur Fossils, Likely from Large Dinosaur, Go on Display

A child looks at dinosaur figurines displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre during an exhibition featuring a rock containing dinosaur bone fossils discovered for the first time, in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
A child looks at dinosaur figurines displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre during an exhibition featuring a rock containing dinosaur bone fossils discovered for the first time, in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
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Hong Kong's First Dinosaur Fossils, Likely from Large Dinosaur, Go on Display

A child looks at dinosaur figurines displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre during an exhibition featuring a rock containing dinosaur bone fossils discovered for the first time, in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
A child looks at dinosaur figurines displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre during an exhibition featuring a rock containing dinosaur bone fossils discovered for the first time, in Hong Kong, China October 25, 2024. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

The first dinosaur fossils found in Hong Kong, likely from a large dinosaur, were put on display on Friday after they were found on a small, uninhabited outlying island, providing new evidence for research on palaeoecology in the financial hub.

The fossils, confirmed to be dated to the Cretaceous period some 145 million to 66 million years ago, need further study to confirm the dinosaur species, authorities said, but it was clear they were large vertebrate animals.

They were found on Port Island, located in the northeast of Hong Kong and known for its red rock formations, Reuters reported.

The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in March the sedimentary rock on Port Island may contain fossils.

China's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) this week signed an agreement to conduct further research, Reuters reported.

In addition to Argentina, Canada and the United States, China is one of the four main countries in the world for both finding and researching dinosaur fossils, said Michael Pittman, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

“This extremely exciting discovery now adds local dinosaur fossils to Hong Kong’s strong existing track record of dinosaur research. I hope it inspires greater interest in science and nature in our community and will lead to notable scientific outcomes,” Pittman said.

At the Heritage Discovery Centre inside Hong Kong's Kowloon Park, eager fans gathered early on Friday to catch a glimpse of the fossils.

Chong Got, 66, was one of the first to arrive.

"It's shocking because I never thought there would be dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong."

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New Zealanders Save More Than 30 Stranded Whales by Lifting Them on Sheets

Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
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New Zealanders Save More Than 30 Stranded Whales by Lifting Them on Sheets

Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers and volunteers try to save killer whales stranded at the mouth of the Bolshaya Vorovskaya River at the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia October 2, 2024. Head of the Sobolevsky Municipal District of the Kamchatka Region Andrei Vorovskiy via VK/Handout via REUTERS

More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand were safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. Four of the pilot whales died, New Zealand’s conservation agency said.
New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders.
A team was monitoring Ruakākā Beach near the city of Whangārei in New Zealand’s north on Monday to ensure there were no signs of the whales saved Sunday stranding again, the Department of Conservation told The Associated Press. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod.
“It’s amazing to witness the genuine care and compassion people have shown toward these magnificent animals,” Joel Lauterbach, a Department of Conservation spokesperson, said in a statement. “This response demonstrates the deep connection we all share with our marine environment.”
A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place on Monday. New Zealand’s Indigenous people consider whales a taonga — a sacred treasure — of cultural significance.
New Zealand has recorded more than 5,000 whale strandings since 1840. The largest pilot whale stranding was of an estimated 1,000 whales at the Chatham Islands in 1918, according to the Department of Conservation.
It's often not clear why strandings happen but the island nation's geography is believed to be a factor. Both the North and South Islands feature stretches of protruding coastline with shallow, sloping beaches that can confuse species such as pilot whales — which rely on echolocation to navigate.