DINO DAZE. A menacing Tarbosaurus (left) greets visitors at Dinosaurs: China’s Ancient Giants, a new exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. Well-preserved fossil remains of a small, feathered Microraptor (right) show the close link between dinosaurs and birds. (AR Photos/Pamela Ellgen)

From The Asian Reporter, V18, #8 (February 19, 2008), page 11.

By Pamela Ellgen

Nearly a decade ago, farmers in China’s Liaoning province unearthed fossils that would change the way scientists thought about the relationship between birds and dinosaurs; they discovered remarkably well-preserved fossil remains of dinosaurs with feathers.

Now, American audiences have the privilege of witnessing this enormous discovery at Dinosaurs: China’s Ancient Giants, an exhibit now on display at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). More than 20 original skeletons, both casts and fossils, unearthed in China and Mongolia are on display.

One of the dinosaurs from the late Jurassic Period included in the exhibit, Mamenchisaurus (whose name literally means "ferry-across mamen brook lizard"), possessed the longest neck — up to 33 feet — of any known terrestrial animal. It lived in the Xinjiang and Szechuan provinces of China 156 million years ago.

Another fascinating specimen is the Microraptor. This small, feathered dinosaur had sharp teeth and a long tail, perhaps for stability during flight. The fossil at OMSI shows perfect, intricate detail, down to the jumbled remains of the animal’s ribcage and just a few talons on each limb. Scientists posit the animal possessed wings on its front and hind legs, creating almost a biplane effect.

In addition to the skeletons on display, the exhibit features lifelike, moving dinosaurs. One was created to look like Tarbosaurus, from the Cretaceous Period — 70 million years ago — a cousin to the infamous Tyranosaurus Rex. It leers and chomps at passing viewers. Other animated replicas include the Dilophosaurus and Velociraptor (as seen in the 1993 film Jurassic Park), an Oviraptor, and a Protoceratops.

To help viewers imagine the animals in their natural habitats, Chinese artists and the Royal British Museum in British Columbia created four 70-foot original murals which hang at OMSI along with the exhibit. Young OMSI visitors will also appreciate the dig pit, where they can collaborate with other budding paleontologists to put together the "skeleton" of a Stegosaurus.

Patrick Mangan, one of OMSI’s science educators, helps visitors understand the nature and importance of the fossils on display. The ancient lakes and volcanoes in Liaoning province provided the perfect environment for fossil creation and preservation. Presumably, animals living in the region died suddenly from noxious volcanic gasses and were covered almost immediately in ash. The process in Liaoning has been compared to what happened at Mt. Vesuvius in its perfect preservation of animal remains. Covered in ash, the organism is sealed away from the decomposing effects of oxygen.

"China is producing dinosaur fossils at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world," said Lee Dawson, an OMSI representative. "In addition to their rarity, these fossils are of much scientific importance."

In the past, China has been reluctant to let the fossils out of the country because they fetch a high price on the black market. This exhibit is one of the first opportunities American audiences have to view the fossils, thanks in part to the trust and generosity of China’s Dalian Natural History Museum.

Dinosaurs: China’s Ancient Giants is on display through September 1. OMSI is located at 1945 S.E. Water Avenue in Portland. For more information, call (503) 797-4000 or visit <www.omsi.edu>.