A scientific museum specializing in pterosaurs—winged reptiles closely related to dinosaurs—has opened in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwestern China.
This museum, the first of its kind globally, is located in a national geopark in the Hami region of Xinjiang province, which is known for its abundance of pterosaur fossil finds.
The 'Hami Pterosaur Museum' covers an area of about 4,600 square meters and consists of six oval halls arranged in a stepped pattern. From an aerial view, it resembles a cluster of pterosaur eggs lying in the desert.
The exhibition features specimens discovered during excavations conducted over two decades by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It also displays the world's first three-dimensionally preserved pterosaur eggs and embryos, as well as large pterosaur specimens presented to the public for the first time.
The museum announced that all these specimens are being displayed together for the first time. The exhibits offer a panoramic recreation of the life and evolution of pterosaurs during the Cretaceous period, approximately 130 million years ago.
Xu Xing, director of the CAS institute, noted that the museum not only highlights China's leading role in global pterosaur research but also provides the public with the opportunity to see scientific discoveries up close and appreciate the wonders of ancient life.