Located in the center of the ground floor, the Central Exhibition Hall displays the fossils of Mamenchisaurus, known as the “Giganotosaurus of the East”, discovered in Hechuan District, Chongqing, Huanghetitan of the Cretaceous period, Ichthyosaurus of the Triassic period, and other precious exhibits. The steps at the back of the hall are themed with sedimentary strata and Chongqing mountain trails.

Mamenchisaurus Discovered in Hechuan

Located in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area displays the 24-meter-long and 3.6-meter-high skeleton of Mamenchisaurus, which is also the largest dinosaur skeleton in Chongqing. Mamenchisaurus, found in Dashi Sub-Street, Hechuan District, is one of the largest dinosaurs in China and one of the most well-known Chinese dinosaurs in the world, being hailed as the “Giganotosaurus of the East”.

Huanghetitan

Located in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area displays the restored skeleton of the Huanghetitan found in the Lanzhou Basin of Gansu Province. Huanghetitan of the Cretaceous period, characterized by its wide hips and long forelimbs, is one of the largest dinosaurs in China yet. At present, there is only one site of Cretaceous dinosaur skeleton fossils in Chongqing, which was discovered in Qianjiang District. Among the discovered skeleton fossils were the fossils of Huanghetitan.

Ichthyosaur

Located in the Central Exhibition Hall, this exhibition area mainly displays the Ichthyosaur fossil of the Triassic period, which is more than 7 meters long and was found in Fuyuan County, Yunnan Province Ichthyosaurs appeared in the Triassic period about 240 million years ago and vanished in the Cretaceous period about 90 million years ago. During the “Mass Extinction” at the end of the Permian period about 250 million years ago, 96% of marine life and 70% of terrestrial life on Earth went extinct, but not all reptiles did. The survivors continued to evolve, and Ichthyosaurs were one of them; they also became the top predator during this period.

 Slopes

Located in the connecting passageway from the Central Exhibition Hall to the second floor, the slope area is built mainly based on the sedimentary rock strata that are widely distributed in Chongqing, vividly displaying the geological and geomorphological characteristics of Chongqing as the Mountain City. On both sides of the slope, there are featured exhibits such as Yubei fish fossils, Ornithomimus skeletons, Dromaeosaurus skeletons, and so on.