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An expert from the CAS collects dinosaur fossils. Photo: The official website of the Hong Kong SAR

The first dinosaur fossils discovered in Hong Kong will be displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre starting from Friday, according to a report from the website of the Hong Kong government on Wednesday.

A dedicated space is being built at the centre for experts to continue the cleaning and restoration of the fossils while showcasing samples already prepared. The local government has also made long-term plans to display the fossils, aiming to boost public interest and education in paleontology, said the report.

The Antiquities and Monuments Office will host a lecture at the Heritage Discovery Centre on Thursday afternoon, where experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will discuss the latest dinosaur research in China. Attendees will be the first to view the dinosaur fossils beforethe fossilsofficially goe on display the following day.

The fossils, which date back to the Cretaceous period, about 66 million to 145 million years ago, were confirmed to belong to a large, elderly dinosaur, but the exact species has yet to be determined.

"The discovery is of great significance and provides new evidence for research on palaeoecology in Hong Kong," Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said.
Thomas Stidham, an experienced paleontologist from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the CAS, told the Global Times that "The discovery of a Cretaceous age dinosaur fossil in Hong Kong will help us better understand the geological and evolutionary history of southern China." Stidham also works at Austin College, the US as his main professorship.