SHIYAN, May 18 (Xinhua) -- With precision tools in his hands, Zhao Bi, a researcher with the Hubei Institute of Geosciences, leans over a nest of dinosaur egg fossils and intently removes undesired substance attached to their surfaces. This has been the daily routine for Zhao and other dinosaur egg fossil restorers at Hubei Qinglong Mountain Dinosaur Egg Fossil Site Museum in Shiyan City, central China's Hubei Province.
The Museum is dedicated to in-situ protection and display of dinosaur egg fossils. The fossil site covers more than 7,000 square meters, with 3,204 dinosaur egg fossils restored, protected, and displayed in their original positions.
Back in 2020, the Hubei Qinglong Mountain Dinosaur Egg Fossil Group National Nature Reserve, the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Hubei Institute of Geosciences formed a joint research team to uncover more information about the dinosaur egg fossils. Zhao has been on the team since then.
The abundant dinosaur egg fossils in this area hold great significance for the study of dinosaur egg-laying processes and the paleoenvironment. To preserve as much fossil information as possible, Zhao's team chose to restore and manage the fossils at their original site of discovery. The team has successfully implemented several projects centered on Qinglong Mountain dinosaur egg fossils with significant findings. In December 2023, three crystallized dinosaur egg fossils were discovered at the site, extremely rare in the world.
"Working on these fossils from tens of millions of years ago often feels like talking with history," Zhao said. For him, this work is filled with novelty and challenge. "There aren't many previous examples to refer to, and we have to figure things out as we go. The sense of novelty is enormous, but so is the pressure."
Reporters: Wu Zhizun, Hu Jingwen
Editors: Zhang Haofu, Wang Haijing, Sun Xiaotian, Chu Jiayin, Xin Mengchen, Liu Lingyi, Li Mangmang
China Story Studio■