How hard is it to find a dinosaur?

Right now

You are looking at this dinosaur

No doubt lucky

Need to know

This meeting spanned 66 million years

(Dinosaur fossil skeletons on display in Lufeng Dinosaur Valley. The dinosaurs mentioned below are only non-avian dinosaurs in the order Dinosauria. From the perspective of modern phylogenetics, birds are a special type of dinosaur. Pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs, which are often mistaken for dinosaurs, are not included in this category. Image source: Visual China)

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66 million years

The mainland splits and reunites

Species are born and die

This ancient life

But it spanned such a long time

Meet us

This also allows us

Through their remaining traces

Recreate an extremely magnificent prehistoric era

We can even infer that

The experience of the last non-avian dinosaur

Although this may be a

Sad story

they

What exactly happened?

(Partial fossil skeleton of Lufengosaurus, photographer @贾翔)

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01

The last dinosaur

About 66 million years ago

The last dinosaur in the world is walking alone

There is no one like it around

Even it can't remember

The last time another dinosaur was seen

How long ago was it?

(In the late Cretaceous period, various disasters struck, and only the last dinosaur was left in the world. Map by @肖桐&张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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It just feels that the climate is getting hotter

The air I breathe becomes more and more pungent

Sometimes it rains suddenly

Did not bring the long-lost coolness

Corrosive acid rain

Instead, it will make its thick skin hurt.

Harsh environment

Finally brought it to death

It won't know

Their era

Which dinosaur opened the first

I can't think of my own death.

It actually means the end of the dinosaur era

(Please watch in horizontal mode. From the late Triassic period [about 230 million years ago] to the late Cretaceous period [about 66 million years ago], countless dinosaurs of different shapes and sizes were born on Earth. The following text will unlock the information of each dinosaur in the picture below at different locations. Map by @Hanqing/Planetary Research Institute)

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But death can't give it rest

The "enemies" on land who were eyeing its corpse

I can't hold back

As per usual

Animals will eat its flesh

Microorganisms will cause it to rot

The wind and sand will scatter and polish its bones

As the overlord of the earth, it would never think

Things that it had never looked at in its lifetime

It would become so miserable after death.

anyway

Its body is already difficult to preserve.

(After the last dinosaur died, its body was damaged in many ways and was in tatters. Map by @肖桐&张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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Eventually it will be completely decomposed

Becomes carbon dioxide, water and inorganic substances

Return to nature without leaving any trace like this

This is the final destination of almost all dinosaurs.

But sometimes accidents happen

As long as its remains can be buried quickly

It's possible to escape this disaster

(Etna volcano erupts in Sicily, Italy. Along with the lava, volcanic ash also erupts from the surface. There was once a case where dinosaurs were quickly buried in volcanic ash after they died. Image source: Visual China)

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Sometimes it's lucky enough

Buried where he died

But more often it needs the help of a force

Move it underwater and bury it

(After the dinosaurs sank underwater, mud and sand fell and accumulated, burying them. Map by @肖桐&张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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Although this process

It's still a thrilling adventure

Violent impact, turbulent water

Microbial decomposition and silt flushing

It's enough to make its body dismembered

Even exhausted

Too many uncertainties

No need to collect all

Even if you meet one of them

We will not be able to successfully " summon the dragon "

But if every time

It can just brush past those unfavorable conditions

Then it will enter the next stage

Fossilized

(Millennium Sinornithosaurus fossil. Millennium Sinornithosaurus is a dinosaur with primitive feathers. Although it is small in size, it is a "poison master" with deadly weapons. It can inject venom into the prey through its fangs to paralyze the target. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @肖桐/Planetary Research Institute)

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At this stage

Some minerals will wait

Growing in its hollow, porous frame

Fill the holes in his bones

Make it tight and strong

This subtle change

It will last for millions of years

Until most of the matter that originally belonged to this life form

All replaced by minerals

It also combines with the surrounding sediment and debris

Until it solidifies into rock

(Giant Lufengosaurus fossil, discovered in Lufeng, Yunnan, photographer @贾翔, map @肖桐/Planetary Research Institute)

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today

When these former overlords of the Earth appear again

It is no longer the high-spirited appearance of the past

Their body parts

Most of them have become scattered fossils.

Blends in with the real rocks around

Difficult to distinguish

(Dinosaur fossils embedded in the surrounding rocks, photographer @张艳, map @汉青/星球研究院)

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Once in Lufeng, Yunnan

A farmer found such a stone

The dimples on top made him feel good.

So I took it home and used it to hold kerosene.

Made a kerosene lamp

Until I met a paleontologist

Yang Zhongjian and Bian Meinian

(The background is the video material displayed in the Lufeng Dinosaur Site Museum in China. The person on the right is Academician Yang Zhongjian; the fossil skeleton is Lufengosaurus xusii. Photographers @贾翔&罗捷, map @汉青/星球研究院)

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In their excavation

The Lufeng Fauna that Amazes the World

Recovering from the light of day

This includes

The "First Dragon of China" Found in the War

Lufengosaurus xu

( Please watch in horizontal mode . The first fossil skeleton of Lufengosaurus xu'sii. It is exhibited in the Chinese Paleozoological Museum as a treasure of the museum. The skeleton was discovered in Lufeng, Yunnan in 1938 by Mr. Yang Zhongjian and others. In order to commemorate the German paleontologist Schnabel who provided him with a lot of help, Mr. Yang Zhongjian named it "Lufengosaurus xu'sii". This is the first dinosaur discovered, studied, mounted and named by the Chinese themselves. It is also the first dinosaur in the world to be on a stamp. Photographer @柳叶氘)

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But unfortunately

More dinosaurs

Even though I have gone through so many difficulties and become a fossil

No chance to meet us

02

Finding Dinosaurs

In the process of a dinosaur becoming a fossil

Rivers, lakes and seas on Earth

Sediment and debris continue to accumulate

And millions of years later

Solidify again into new rock

According to this trend

Dinosaurs will be "sealed" layer by layer

Never see the light of day again

Unless a great force comes

Pushing the rock layer containing dinosaur fossils back to the surface

And the time when this power arrives

Equally important

(After the earth's crust was lifted, the rock layer covering the dinosaur fossils was weathered, allowing the dinosaur fossils to see the light of day again. Map by @张琪/Planetary Research Institute)

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If this power comes too late

These fossils

It is likely to encounter high temperature and high pressure underground

Thus heading towards "death" again

If it's too early

Before humans encountered them

Rain, snow, wind and frost in nature

It may disintegrate the layers of rock that surround it.

Dinosaur fossils exposed to the elements are very fragile

Even the slightest natural force could destroy it.

(Wind erosion mushrooms, the hard rocks are worn into mushroom-like shapes under the long-term wind force, photographer @曾建军)

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Not long ago

There are paleontologists in Lufeng, Yunnan

A new dinosaur fossil site was found

Years of wind and rain

The precious skull fossils of dinosaurs have been taken away

The roots of the plants are also all over its body

(Dinosaur fossils discovered by Chinese paleontologists in Lufeng, Yunnan in the winter of 2022, photographer @尤海鲁)

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But even if this force comes just right

On Earth's 149 million square kilometers of land

There are various rocks scattered around

Want to find a dinosaur fossil somewhere in there

It's like finding a needle in a haystack.

Fortunately, the human species seems to be quite intelligent.

They have only been exploring for a century or two.

It seems that he has figured out the trick to finding dinosaurs.

They know

Igneous rocks that are formed from magma

(Rhyolitic volcanic columnar joints in Hong Kong Global Geopark. Magmatic rocks are a type of rock formed by the cooling of magma at a temperature of hundreds or even thousands of degrees. Magmatic rocks, metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks together constitute the three major types of rocks on Earth. Photographer @李宇鹏)

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as well as

Metamorphic rocks formed under extreme conditions

It is impossible to find any trace of dinosaurs

(Rocks mixed with metamorphic rocks on the lakeside of Asturias, Spain, picture source @Visual China)

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Only in those

Sedimentary rocks formed by finely divided particles

It is possible that the bodies of dinosaurs are buried

(Zhangye Colorful Hills, formed by the stacking of various colored sedimentary rocks, photographer @赵高翔)

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They know

These sedimentary rocks also have their own ages

In the rocks that are too old

It will only hide creatures older than dinosaurs.

Rocks that are too young have not yet formed, and dinosaurs have long been extinct

(Trilobite fossils. Trilobites lived in the ocean 570 million to 240 million years ago, while the earliest dinosaurs appeared on land about 230 million years ago. Image source: Visual China)

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They also know

Sedimentary rocks formed in the ocean

There are few land creatures like dinosaurs.

And those sedimentary rocks formed on land

More likely to find clues about dinosaurs

(Sea lily fossil. Sea lily lives in the ocean, but it is not a plant, but an echinoderm. Photographer @柳叶氘, map @肖桐/Planetary Research Institute)

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To find them

Humans have also suffered

Because these rock layers may contain dinosaur fossils

Randomly distributed in different places

Sometimes there is no transportation to reach

(Dinosaur footprint fossils appeared on a high rock wall. Researchers could only climb up the rock with the help of ropes and ladders to conduct research. Photographer: @王董浩)

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But humans who are full of curiosity

Seems to be obsessed with these former overlords of the earth

They would rather take risks

I have to go to those places again and again

Hard-to-reach destinations

Just to find every dinosaur fossil that has survived to this day

(Dinosaur fossil excavation site on a steep slope, photographer @周正)

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But not every expedition can be victorious.

Sometimes we need a little bit of luck

For example, as early as 1956

People discovered the first dinosaur fossil in Shanxi, China.

In the nearly half a century that followed

Humanity's desperate search has all come to nothing.

Until 2011 and after

The rich variety and number of dinosaurs in Shanxi

Only then appeared before the world

( Please watch in horizontal screen , dinosaur fossil skeletons on display in Shanxi Geological Museum, image source @Visual China, map @Xiao Tong/Planet Research Institute)

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But it is also because

It is so difficult to find dinosaur fossils that have survived to this day.

Every harvest is more precious.

Whenever humans discover a suspicious target

Use a variety of tools

Carefully remove the covering on the dinosaur

Excess rocks and dirt

(Some equipment collection of Summon the Dragon [Discover Dinosaurs], photographer @Yu Shuhan)

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Re-glue their cracked bones

Then fix them with plaster or large wooden boxes.

Bringing it back to the human lab

There

Humans will wash away the mud for dinosaurs

( Please watch in horizontal mode . Researchers are cleaning dinosaur fossils in the Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Museum. Photographer: Zhou Mingjia)

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Scattered, confused bones

Put it back together in the right way

And prepare them carefully

Their own names

(Yang's Tianzhensaurus exhibited in the Shanxi Geological Museum, image source @Visual China, map @Xiao Tong/Planet Research Institute)

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Not only that

Humans are also trying to understand them better.

And the world they live in

For example, from the fossilized food residues in their teeth

or in fossilized feces

Find out whether they are meat eaters or vegetarians

(Dinosaur feces fossils hidden in the Chengdu Natural History Museum, photographer @张艳, map @汉青/星球研究院)

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Judging their movement posture from their skeletal features

In the rocks that encase them

Detecting something called "isotopes"

Feel the temperature and oxygen availability during the dinosaurs' life

etc.

Here, dinosaurs no longer wander

No need to worry about accidents happening at any time.

Because humans treasure them.

( Please watch in horizontal mode . People gather to see the huge Mamenchisaurus skeleton in Zigong Museum. Photographer: Zhou Ying)

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Today

After nearly a century of pursuit by Chinese paleontologists,

More than 300 species of dinosaurs have been discovered in my country

This also makes China the country with the most dinosaur discoveries in the world.

No one

(Distribution map of some dinosaur-related fossils [including some dinosaur bone fossils, footprint fossils and dinosaur egg fossils]. The Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods can be subdivided from early to late into the Early, Middle and Late Triassic, Early, Middle and Late Jurassic, and Early and Late Cretaceous. Map by @张松楠&汉青/星球研究院)

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Some broken dinosaur bone fossils

(Dinosaur bone fossils in Lufeng Dinosaur Fossil Museum, photographer @周明佳)

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Fossilized footprints that remain unchanged after stepping into the mud

(Zigong Shileisaurus footprint fossil, the footprint was formed 180 million years ago, photographer @公强)

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Dinosaur egg fossils that were buried before they could hatch

They are like pieces of a puzzle

(Dinosaur egg fossils hidden in Nanjing Paleontological Museum, photographer @Lu Hu)

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With the help of them

We were able to piece together a

The Wonderful Chinese Dinosaur Kingdom

03

Chinese Dinosaur Kingdom

This is an incredibly magnificent prehistoric world.

In today's China

There were dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes emerging one after another.

As early as about 200 million years ago

That was the beginning of the Jurassic period.

Some ancient dinosaurs "landed" in Yunnan

Yunnan at that time was not like today, with four seasons of spring.

The climate is closer to the modern African savannah

(Masai Mara Wildlife Reserve, Kenya. In the early Jurassic period, the climate of today's Yunnan was similar to that of the current African savannah. It should be noted that there are certain differences between the modern geographical pattern and the ancient geographical pattern, but for ease of understanding, modern place names will be used in the following text. Image source: @Visual China)

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A kind of dinosaur lived here

Long neck and small head

And a mouthful of "spear-shaped" teeth

Whether in terms of appearance or figure

They are not wild hunters stalking their prey.

They are more like a group of gentle "vegetarian dragons"

Humans 200 million years from now

According to the location where their fossils were found

They are called Lufengosaurus

(Reconstruction diagram of Lufengosaurus xuii, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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At the same time

Sichuan Basin not far from Yunnan

Most of it is still submerged in the lake water.

But halfway through the Jurassic

There will be a sudden change like the sea changes.

Great ancient lake

Transformed into small lakes scattered all over the place

Rivers flow between lakes and land

The environment is warmer and the vegetation is more lush

(The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. Due to the uplift of the earth's crust, the lake environment in Sichuan no longer exists, and the Sichuan Basin has changed from an inland basin to an outward basin. Photographer @李心宽)

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The superior habitat provided an excellent habitat for dinosaurs.

The number and species of herbivorous dinosaurs increased dramatically

Carnivorous dinosaurs were not far behind

(Schematic diagram of the restoration of the Qilong, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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Facing the fierce attack of carnivorous dinosaurs

Herbivorous dinosaurs would never sit still and wait for death

Some of them have a tail club like an iron ball growing on their tail.

For example, the earliest group of Shusaurus li

(Reconstruction diagram of Shusaurus li, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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Some have sharp bone spurs on their backs that are like swords.

For example, the "Swordsman" in Dinosaur

Huayangosaurus taibaiensis

These dinosaurs have their own "weapons"

Enough to fight back when in danger

(Reconstruction diagram of Taibai Huayanglong, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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This is a herbivorous dinosaur and a carnivorous dinosaur

The era of keeping pace

The glory of dinosaurs has begun to take shape

It seems that the environment is too comfortable

In the late Jurassic

Some herbivorous dinosaurs

The neck is getting longer and the body is getting bigger

Mamenchisaurus is one of the most typical representatives.

( Please watch horizontally , the restoration of Mamenchisaurus youngi is shown in the figure, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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The carnivorous dinosaurs

And getting stronger and more ferocious

For example, the hot-tempered Yongchuan dragon

(Reconstruction diagram of the upper reaches of Yongchuansaurus, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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More types of dinosaurs

Appearing on a wider land

Became the undisputed overlord of the earth at that time

Then, the end of the Jurassic

The Cretaceous Period arrived

Today's northern Hebei and western Liaoning regions

It became a perfect place for dinosaurs to settle down.

There

Coniferous forest, pine, cypress, fern

There are even shrubs and herbs

Together they form a primitive and lush forest

(The alpine coniferous forest in Geza Township, Shangri-La. In the era of dinosaurs, there were many coniferous forests on the earth. Photographer: @仇梦涵)

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At this time, a strange dinosaur

Becoming the new face of the new era

They have a parrot-like beak.

Therefore, it is called " Psittacosaurus ".

For this dinosaur

A body length of two meters is rare

It looks particularly cute among the huge dinosaurs.

(Reconstruction of the Chinese Psittacosaurus, courtesy of @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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They are also more partial to food

Particularly fond of roots and nuts

This type of food is difficult to chew

But they are smart

Swallow the gravel to aid digestion

In this era of warm climate,

Occasionally there will be a cold episode

Especially in today's Liaoning region

Some dinosaurs chose to wear fur to survive the cold

This even includes the powerful carnivorous dinosaurs

Yutyrannus

(Reconstruction diagram of Yutyrannus, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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Even though they are covered in feathers

But still can't fly

Only some of the more agile members

Mastered the art of gliding

(Reconstruction of Anchiornis hercules, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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But some of them

Evolved into true birds

Hit the Sky

(Modern birds flying freely, photographer @刘辰)

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The "Longding Xingwang" family

There seems to be a bright future

No one expected the disaster to come so quietly.

Volcanoes, high temperatures, drying up of rivers and lakes, asteroid impacts

Competing for the stage

Stable life

As if it vanished in an instant

(Map of the Chicxulub crater in Mexico. The asteroid impact, large-scale volcanic eruptions, environmental degradation and other factors may be the culprit for the extinction of dinosaurs. Map by @Zheng Yi/Planetary Research Institute)

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Like countless disasters in the past

The story of survival of the fittest repeats itself

But the difference is that this time the dinosaurs are at a disadvantage.

They are doomed to fail.

A unique dinosaur that lived at this time

Has a duck-like mouth

Therefore, humans call it "duck-billed dinosaur".

They have thousands of teeth in their mouths.

Chewing food vigorously and flexibly

When the rainy season comes

Groups of duck-billed dinosaurs would also migrate along the water system.

The harsh environment forces them to leave

On a devastated planet

Searching for the few remaining habitats

(Reconstruction diagram of Qingdaosaurus spinorhinus, drawn by @Hanqing & Xiaotong/Planetary Research Institute)

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However, no matter how powerful the overlord is

It can't last forever

In the face of natural changes that are beyond our control

The dinosaurs died

Until the last dinosaur dies

The glorious age of dinosaurs came to an end

now

As humans continue to discover new dinosaurs

Constructing an increasingly fascinating prehistoric world

This topic about dinosaurs

It's even more sad

Because its ending is sad anyway.

(In Lufeng Dinosaur Valley, there are many dinosaur fossil skeletons on display at the Dinosaur Site Museum. Photographer: @贾翔)

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It is conceivable

If dinosaur remains

I have never experienced any hardships and survived.

Humans have never traveled thousands of miles to find them.

Then we will eventually miss the glory of a generation of overlords

(Chinese dragon skeleton, photographer @Lu Jianshu)

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but

Since humans first encountered dinosaur fossils

This means that dinosaurs will always belong to the ancient times.

In the future, no matter how long it will be

We can't witness it again.

The rise of this great species

(In the Dinosaur Site Museum in Lufeng Dinosaur Valley, people gather around dinosaur fossils scattered in the rock walls. Photographer: @贾翔)

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But this is the planet

A story that is always happening

In the 4.6 billion years since the Earth was born

Countless species appeared

Countless species have become extinct

They use traces of their existence

Solving countless mysteries about life

That’s why

The planet we live on together

It became the vast and boundless universe

A great miracle

This article was created by

Written by : Xiaoxi

Editor : Mr. Zhen

Image : Daytime sleep

Design : Han Qing & Xiao Tong & Zhang Qi

Map : Zhang Songnan

Reviewer : Yunwukongcheng

Cover Photographer : He Yi

Audit Expert

You Hailu, researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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