For the first time in the city, Hong Kong has discovered dinosaur fossils on a remote uninhabited island, the officials stated. According to the government's statement, the discovered fossil is part of a large dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, which lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago. Although the species of the dinosaur has not yet been confirmed and requires further study.

The rock containing the fossils was discovered on Port Island, located within the UNESCO Global Geopark in the city’s northeastern waters. The fossils will be showcased this Friday in one of Hong Kong’s shopping districts.

Sharing the excitement about the discovery, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said, “This find is really important and provides new insights for studying Hong Kong's ancient environment.”

Experts believe that the dinosaur's body was initially buried in sand and gravel, then uncovered during a big flood, and later buried again at the site where it was found.

The finding of fossils came after the conservation department in March notified its Antiquities and Monuments Office of some sedimentary rock containing substances suspected to be a vertebrate fossil. Earlier there was only a fish fossil of the dinosaur-era that had been found in Hong Kong.

Prof. Michael Pittman, a paleontologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, expressed that the discovery is a thrilling moment for the city. Despite having a rich history of dinosaur research, Hong Kong had not previously found any dinosaur fossils to call its own. This find denotes a significant milestone for the city’s scientific community.

“Hong Kong is known for its urban landscape, but half of it is actually country park. In these rural areas, much of the rock you see dates back to the dinosaur era. However, it's mostly volcanic rock, which isn’t great for finding fossils because the intense heat can destroy them”, he said.

China, one of the four leading nations in dinosaur research alongside the US, Canada, and Argentina, has unearthed tens of thousands of dinosaur eggs in Guangdong province, where Hong Kong is located. This region, like Port Island, boasts the right type of rocks and environment for dinosaur preservation.

Pittman further said, “I’m hoping that looking at these fossils, we’ll see differences with ones from some of the famous sites in China like Sichuan and Yunnan. It could tell a really interesting story about the biogeography of the animals.”

Port Island is currently closed to the public for further investigation due to important fossil discoveries. These fossils will be displayed at the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, allowing visitors to explore this aspect of natural history. The government is also planning to open a special place where people can watch experts work on dinosaur bones by the end of 2024.