Skeletal Fossils of Boseong County’s Ornithopod Dinosaur and Yeosu’s Pig-Nosed Turtle Held by CNU Designated Natural Monuments—the First Case Since the Launch of Gwangju Metropolitan City

【Financial News, Jeonnam = Reporter Hwang In-chae】The “skeletal fossil of Koreanosaurus boseongensis” and the “skeletal fossil of the Yeosu pig-nosed turtle (Byeoljubuchelys yeosuensis),” held by CNU’s Korea Dinosaur Research Center, have been designated Natural Monuments.
 According to Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (Gwangju Metropolitan City) on the 4th, the “skeletal fossil of Koreanosaurus boseongensis” and the “skeletal fossil of the Yeosu pig-nosed turtle” were designated and officially announced as Natural Monuments following the final review and approval by the National Heritage Committee under the Korea Heritage Service on August 26.
 Hwang In-chae, head of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Gwangju Metropolitan City, explained, "The designation of these fossils as Natural Monuments is especially meaningful because it is the first such designation since Gwangju and Jeonnam launched as a single integrated special city."
 The “skeletal fossil of Koreanosaurus boseongensis” is a representative example of a Korean dinosaur skeletal fossil formally described in an international academic journal and given a recognized scientific name. It was discovered in a form close to its original shape and is exceptionally well preserved. Its academic value and distinctiveness are particularly high because it is the only skeletal fossil for which the site of discovery and excavation process have been clearly documented.
 The “skeletal fossil of the Yeosu pig-nosed turtle” is a fossil of a native Korean turtle discovered on Soreukdo in Yeosu. It is considered highly distinctive and rare because not only its carapace and plastron but also its vertebrae and fore- and hind-limb bones remain intact.
 Hwang In-chae, head of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Gwangju Metropolitan City, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the natural heritage designated this time is safely preserved and managed, and will continue working to encourage citizens to take an interest in the region’s valuable natural heritage."

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