Australian.Geographic_2014_01-02

AUSTR ALIAN GEOGR APHIC SOCIETY

UPCOMING EXPEDITION

found here helped palaeontologists
piece together the faunas of this time.
“One hundred and fifty million
years ago this was a plain with lakes
and rivers, and a suitable environment
for dinosaurs,” Peng says. “It was
perhaps a delta, like the Yangtze River.
Each year during the flood season,
animals that died elsewhere were
carried by the floods and deposited
here, where they became fossils.”
Some of the most interesting
fossils at Zigong include the
world’s most complete early
stegosaur, Huayangosaurus, and skin
impressions from another stegosaur,
Gigantspinosaurus, which were among
the first stegosaur skin impressions
ever discovered. Giant sauropods
Shunosaurus and Omeisaurus have been
found with bony tail clubs – defensive
structures that would have made
formidable weapons to fend off
bipedal carnosaurs such as Gasosaurus
and Yangchuanosaurus. The beautifully
preserved 9m-long specimen of
Yangchuanosaurus is one of the largest
and most complete carnivorous
dinosaur fossils known from Asia.
Both Lufeng and Zigong may be a
little bit off the beaten track for
tourists in China, but if you have a
passion for dinosaurs, then visits to
these spectacular museums will reward
you with experiences you are likely to
remember for the rest of your life. AG

JOIN THE AGS AND ODYSSEY

TR AVEL ON ONE OF THESE

FANTASTIC DINOSAUR

DISCOV ERY TOURS!

For an adventure with a difference, experience one of these

unforgettable journeys. A portion of the cost of your trip will

go towards the important work of the Society.

CHINESE DINOSAUR

ODYSSEY

During the trip – run in collabora-

tion with the Australian Museum

• you will visit two of the most
  exciting dinosaur sites in China:
  Zigong Dinosaur Museum in
  Sichuan and World Dinosaur
  Valley in Yunnan. A qualified
  palaeontologist will also take you
  behind the scenes to meet palae-
  ontologists and experts at these
  fossil sites. In addition to this, the
  trip takes in many other Chinese
  World Heritage sites and tour-
  ist spots, such as Tiger Leaping
  Gorge, the Leshan giant Buddha,
  the Jinsha archaeological site in
  Chengdu, and the Giant Panda
  Research Base.
  WHEN: Departures in October
  2014 and April 2015
  DURATION: 12 nights
  INCLUSIONS: International
  flights (ex Sydney), internal flights,
  hotel accommodation, all meals.
  COST: From $7490 per person

DINOSAURS

OF THE GOBI

The first dinosaur eggs were dis-

covered on an American Museum

of Natural History expedition into

Mongolia in the 1920s. On this

trip you travel with the Mongo-

lian Academy of Sciences to visit

some historically significant fossil

sites. Following an introduction

to Mongolian history, culture

and deserts, participants will

spend eight days camping in the

Nemegt Basin prospecting for

and excavating fossils under the

guidance of a senior researcher

with the Mongolian Academy of

Sciences. The trip also takes in the

Gandan Monastery and museums

in Ulaanbaatar.

WHEN: Departures in August

2014 and April 2015

DURATION: 15 nights

INCLUSIONS: Internal flights,

accommodation in lodges, gers

and camps, all meals.

COST: From $9450 per person

Chipping away. A technician prepares a
fossil bone at the Lufeng Dinosaur Quarry.

TO BOOK CALL 1300 888 225 OR VISIT WWW.ODYSSEYTRAVELLER.COM

January –February 2014 105