The world’s first pterosaur museum opens in Hami, Xinjiang

The world’s first scientific museum themed around pterosaurs—the Hami Pterosaur Museum—officially opened on September 13 at the Hami Pterosaur–Yadan National Geopark in Xinjiang. The museum was deeply involved in by the pterosaur research team of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and aims to build a worldclass pterosaur research and popular science center integrating scientific research, collection, conservation, exchange, public education, and cultural tourism. According to reports, the museum is located in the "Pterosaur Eden" area, with a building area of about 8,000 square meters and an exhibition area of about 4,600 square meters. Its exterior design is inspired by the concept of the "spiral of life," and the overall shape echoes pterosaur eggs and a scifi field research base. The academic framework and exhibition content inside the museum were all written and reviewed by the research team, and most of the fossils on display are specimens discovered, collected, and restored and reinforced by the team in the Hami area. The museum’s basic exhibition includes five galleries: the Earth Memory Hall, the Pterosaur Encyclopedia Hall, the World Pterosaur Hall, the China Pterosaur Hall, and the Hami Pterosaur Hall. The content covers the evolution of life on Earth, the origin and flight mechanisms of pterosaurs, the history of pterosaur discoveries worldwide, China’s pterosaur research achievements, and important fossil evidence of the Hami pterosaur fauna. The museum also has a Curiosity Center and an Imagination Space, hoping to inspire young people’s observational skills, thinking abilities, and handson skills through interactive exhibits.