Fossils found in southern China belong to duck-billed dinosaurs era 70M years ago
Chinese scientists have identified skeletal fossils found in Guangdong province as belonging to duck-billed dinosaurs from over 70 million years ago. The discovery expands the region’s fossil record of Hadrosauroidea, a plant-eating species known for its distinctive duck-billed mouth and strong chewing abilities.
- Life
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 10:06 | 10 February 2025
- Modified Date: 10:09 | 10 February 2025
Chinese scientists have found that a set of skeletal fossils discovered in the country's southern region years ago belonged to the duck-billed dinosaurs era over 70 million years ago.
The fresh discovery is seen as an expansion of the region's fossil record of these large, toothy creatures that likely migrated from North America, Beijing-based Xinhua News reported on Monday.
The bones were found in May 2009 by a Chinese amateur fossil hunter at a construction site in Taipinggang, Sihui city of southern Guangdong province.
In 2020, after cleaning and restoration, researchers identified the fossilized skeleton comprising dorsal and caudal vertebrae, a humerus, ilium, femur and tibia.
The fossils, according to them, belong to the tribe Lambeosaurini, a subfamily of plant-eating Hadrosauroidea dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period.
Hadrosauroidea is renowned for its distinctive duck-billed mouth structure with thousands of teeth well arranged within its jaws, enabling it to exhibit strong chewing efficiency and viability.