London - More than 7 600 bones of dinosaurs have been found in China, a discovery that could help establish why the animals died out.
The site of the find at Zhucheng, in Shandong province, has become known as "Dinosaur City" for the fossils and bones uncovered there since the 1960s.
It is thought to be the world's biggest site for dinosaur remains. Among those uncovered there are the predator Tyrannosaurus rex and what is considered the largest of the "duck-billed" dinosaurs.
Chinese state media reported that researchers from the Academy of Sciences had unearthed the bones in a dig that began in March.
Many of the finds have been dated to the late Cretaceous period, when most dinosaurs died out, and it is hoped they could shed light on one of the abiding questions of evolutionary science.
Zhao Xijin, the palaeontologist in charge of the dig, said: "This group of fossilised dinosaurs is the largest discovered in the world.
"The discoveries are expected to contribute to research on dinosaur extinction."
The fossil field was found during exploratory mining. A single pit several hundred metres in length yielded about 3 000 bones.
Paul Barrett, from the Natural History Museum in London, said the claim that the discovery was the "world's largest" was credible.
It is thought the presence of so many bones in a fairly small area could be significant and help scientists work out what led to their sudden disappearance worldwide.
More bones are expected to be uncovered and a paper is expected to be published in a scientific journal this year.
Meanwhile, officials in Shandong are to work to create a fossil park that is to be open to visitors. - The Independent