Professor Dong Zhiming (1937 – October 2024)

Some unhappy information.  Professor Dong Zhiming probably the most influential palaeontologists of the final sixty years has handed away on the age of eighty-seven.  Born in japanese China (Shandong Province) in 1937, Dong Zhiming rose to fame within the Nineteen Sixties and Seventies forging a fame as an authority of Chinese language dinosaurs. He was mentored on the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) by the good C. C. Younger, thought to be the “father of Chinese language palaeontology”. Having graduated with a level in biology, Dong Zhiming joined the IVPP and was quickly collaborating in fieldwork excavating dinosaur fossil specimens. He was a lot admired for his tutorial rigour and his uncanny potential to search out fossils.

Professor Dong Zhiming (1937 – 2024)

He performed a distinguished function forging scientific co-operation with universities and museums exterior of his native China.  For instance, within the mid-Nineteen Eighties he was instrumental within the formation of the China-Canada Dinosaur Mission. Working in collaboration with Philip Currie and Dale Russell, this mission concerned the mapping and exploration of a lot of key dinosaur fossil websites in each Canada and China. The Chinese language sauropod Mamenchisaurus sinocanadorum was named in honour of the work of the China-Canada Dinosaur Mission.

Image credit score: Every part Dinosaur

Naming Dinosaur Taxa

Throughout his lengthy and distinguished profession Professor Dong Zhiming named and described over forty dinosaur genera.  Moreover, the overwhelming majority are these dinosaur genera are nonetheless thought to be legitimate at present.  He was instrumental in serving to to construct up an in depth image of the dinosaur biota that when roamed the land we now know as China.  He wrote or co-authored lots of of technical papers.  For instance, he named Wuerhosaurus in 1973 and co-authored the primary scientific description of the Chinese language theropod Yangchuanosaurus (Dong at al 1978).

Mannequin collectors will know that lots of the standard PNSO dinosaur fashions characterize taxa named by Professor Dong Zhiming.  Certainly, the professor was honoured in 1994 when the Chinese language metriacanthosaurid Sinraptor dongi was named after him.

Within the scientific paper describing S. dongi, printed in 1993, the etymology of the species title is defined.  The professor’s enormous contribution to Chinese language palaeontology is implied:

“The species is known as after the uncover of the sort specimen Zhiming Dong, who additionally labored on the outline of the intently associated kind, Yangchuanosaurus.”

The professor additionally named and scientifically described different Mesozoic reptiles.  As an example, in 1972 he named the enormous ichthyosaur Himalayasaurus (H. tibetensis). As well as, Professor Dong Zhiming was co-author of the scientific paper that described the enigmatic pterosaur Jidapterus edentus from western Liaoning Province.

To learn extra in regards to the big ichthyosaur Himalayasaurus: Tucsan the Himalayasaurus.

PNSO Prehistoric Animal Figures

It’s becoming that one of many world’s main prehistoric animal mannequin ranges options replicas of dinosaurs and different reptiles named by Dong Zhiming.  An goal of the group behind the PNSO vary of figures is to assist elevate the profile of Chinese language dinosaurs and their analysis.  Plenty of younger folks have had their first encounter with a Chinese language dinosaur because of buying a PNSO mannequin.

Mike from Every part Dinosaur commented:

“It was unhappy to listen to the information from China of the passing of Professor Dong Zhiming. Lots of my dinosaur books from childhood mentioned his discoveries and included details about dinosaurs he had named and described.  His immense contribution to palaeontology has been acknowledged and thru the PNSO fashions his work will proceed to be honoured.”