Paleozoological Museum of China

The Paleozoological Museum of China (PMC; ) is a museum in Beijing, China. The same building also houses the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The museum contains exhibition halls with specimens aimed at the public, while the rest of the building is used for research purposes.

Building

The main building consists of three floors, with the first floor displaying a number of fish and amphibian fossils, along with many Mesozoic reptiles, while reptiles and birds are represented on the second floor, and mammals (including examples of megafauna like Stegodon) on the third floor. Many of the fossil specimens on display are of extinct animals examples of which have only been found within the boundaries of modern-day China, such as ''Sinokannemeyeria''. It also has several examples of the evolutionary precursors to birds, including the holotypes of ''Confuciusornis'' and ''Microraptor'', found on field expeditions to Liaoning. An adjoining gallery to the main floor looks at the origins of man, including information on Peking Man (an example of ''Homo erectus''), discovered in nearby Zhoukoudian (Choukoutien) during excavations in 1923-27. It also contains a number of stone tools used by paleolithic peoples, and examples of other, later fossil skulls from early hominids who once inhabited the area. There are life-sized models depicting what the inhabitants probably looked like at that time. In another gallery on the main floor, there are special temporary exhibits. The museum underwent a renovation in 2014.

First Floor

The first floor of the museum contains a space for temporary exhibitions, the gift shop, a theater, and the exhibition space for a sub-museum of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, called the Shu-hua Museum of Paleoanthropology. It also contains the first floor of the main exhibition area, belonging to the other sub-museum of the IVPP, the Museum of Vertebrate Paleontology. The exhibition belonging to the Shu-hua Museum details the origins of man in China. Multiple casts of the skulls of early hominidae, which were discovered in Zhoukoudian, are displayed. A bronze bust of Peking Man is also on display. A small diorama of ''Homo erectus'' making fire is installed in a glass case.

Museum of Vertebrate Paleontology

The first floor of the exhibition area focuses on fish, amphibians, and Mesozoic reptiles. The centerpiece of the floor is a large installation displaying mounts of ''Tsintaosaurus'', ''Mamenchisaurus'', ''Tyrannosaurus'', and a ''Monolophosaurus'' preying on a ''Tuojiangosaurus''. Near the entrance of the exhibit, a collection of Cambrian fossils from Southern China are displayed. A model of a ''Dunkleosteus'' head is also installed. Further in the gallery, along with fossils of prehistoric fish such as '' Sinohelicoprion'' and ''Helicoprion,'' a preserved coelacanth from South Africa, ''Latimeria'', is displayed in a glass case. At the other end of the exhibit, the displays focus on prehistoric flight. The holotype specimen of ''Microraptor'' is displayed on the wall, and multiple specimens of pterosaurs are installed along with crushed specimens of other reptiles, such as ''Hyphalosaurus''. On the second floor, the exhibit fully focuses on Mesozoic life, starting with a mount of ''Sinokannemeyeria'' next to displays of other dicynodonts, like ''Lystrosaurus''. The exhibit then focuses on dinosaurs, installing mounts of ''Archaeornithomimus'', ''Probactrosaurus'', and the designate museum treasure of the IVPP, a ''Lufengosaurus'' skeleton that was the first dinosaur fossil found in China. In display cases, fossils of ''Mamenchisaurus'' and ''Tienshanosaurus'' are set. Further in the second floor, a section of the exhibit is dedicated to dinosaur eggs. The gallery also displays many fossils with preserved feathers from Liaoning, including a composite fossil dubbed "Archaeoraptor". The floor also mounts a cast of a Shansisuchus along with the skull and neck of ''Vjushkovisaurus.'' The third floor focuses on Cenozoic mammals, with an installation of mounts of ''Stegodon'' and ''Platybelodon'' along with the skull of a woolly mammoth as the gallery's centerpiece. A mount of ''Rhinotitan'' is also displayed.

Collection

The collection is significant as it contains many holotypes that were used in scientific journals to describe a number of ancient extinct lines of creatures unique to China. It has an active research facility, and its personnel include the famed Chinese paleontologist Xu Xing, who has named and described many dinosaurs and other fossil animals, some examples of which are on display at the museum.

Gallery

File:ConfusornisSanctus-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, A specimen of '' Confuciusornis sanctus'' on display at the museum.
File:ParalycopteraWui-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, A specimen of '' Paralycoptera wui'' on display at the museum.
File:ShansisuchusShansisuchus(Skull)-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, Skull of ''Shansisuchus'' on display at the museum.
File:ParakannemeyeriaYoungi(Skull)-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, A specimen of '' Parakannemeyeria youngi'' on display at the museum.
File:YixianornisGrabaui-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, Fossil specimen of ''Yixianornis Grabaui'' on display at the museum.
File:JuxiaSharamurenense-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, A mounted specimen of '' Juxia Sharamurenense'' on display at the museum.
File:DalinghesaurusLongidigitus-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, A specimen of ''Dalinghosaurus longidigitus'', on display at the museum.
File:TsintaosaurusSpinorhinus-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, ''Tsintaosaurus'' skeleton.
File:Platybelodon grangeri-Paleozoological Museum Of China May 23 2008.jpg, ''Platybelodon'' skull.
File:HuayangosaurusTaibaii-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, ''Huayangosaurus'' skull.
File:HomotheriumCrenatidens-PaleozoologicalMuseumOfChina-May23-08.jpg, ''Homotherium'' skull.
File:Peking Man Skull (replica) presented at Paleozoological Museum of China.jpg, ''Peking Man'' skull (replica).
File:Paleozoological Museum of China Microraptor.jpg, The holotype of ''Microraptor'' on display at the museum.
File:Paleozoological Museum of China T-Rex.jpg, A mounted cast of ''Tyrannosaurus'' specimen RTMP 81.6.1(Black Beauty), on the first floor of the museum.
File:Archaeoraptor composite fossil at the Paleozoological museum of China.jpg, A composite fossil which generated much controversy in 1999, informally named "Archaeoraptor", displayed on the second floor of the museum.
File:Lufengosaurus holotype specimen.jpg, The holotype specimen of ''Lufengosaurus'', the first fossil found in China, mounted at the museum.
File:Dsungaripterus holotype at IVPP.jpg, The holotype of ''Dsungaripterus'' displayed on the second floor.
File:Probactrosaurus mount at IVPP.jpg, A mount of ''Probactrosaurus'' on the second floor.
File:Rhinotitan at the IVPP.jpg, ''Rhinotitan'' mount on the third floor.
File:Archaeornithomimus at the IVPP.jpg, An ''Archaeornithomimus'' from Inner Mongolia mounted on the second floor.

See also

* List of museums in China

References

External links

The Paleozoological Museum of China (official site, in Chinese)


* ttp://www.china.org.cn/english/travel/164852.htm Paleozoological Museum of China
USA Today "Forget Indiana Jones: Dinosaur hunter Xu digs it"

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Museums in Beijing
Natural history museums in China
1994 establishments in China