This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
Dongpao Mountain is located in Longxi Township, 8.5 kilometers northeast of Baojing County in Xiangxi. It is a limestone karst cave, 2 meters high, 4 meters deep, and 7 meters wide. Inside the cave, fossils of 18 species of mammals have been found, including gibbons, bears, giant pandas, hog badgers, Oriental stegodons, Chinese rhinos, wild boars, piglets, water buffaloes, deer, South China porcupines, and deer. According to identification by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this batch of animal fossils belongs to 6 orders and 18 species, namely Primates, Rodentia, Carnivora, Proboscidea, Perissodactyla, and Artiodactyla, specifically gibbons, deer, Chinese rhinos, giant pandas, serrated gomphotheres, Oriental stegodons, Chinese tapirs, giant pigs, turtles, and so on.
Wang Linghong of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yuan Jiarong of the Hunan Provincial Museum co-authored the paper "Newly Discovered Mammal Fossils in Northwestern Hunan and Their Significance" (published in Vertebrata PalAsiatica, Issue 4, 1982). Its third section compares the fauna fossils unearthed at Dongpao Mountain with the fauna at Jinggou in Wanxian, Sichuan, and finds great differences. The Dongpao Mountain fauna is similar in nature to the Bijiashan fauna and the Longgu Cave fauna at Gaoping in Jianshi. Together they represent a transitional type in southern China from the Early Pleistocene Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave fauna to the Middle and Late Pleistocene narrow-sense Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna, dating to the late Early Pleistocene (one million years ago). The Dongpao Mountain fauna once again provides evidence for this transitional type and has positive significance for Chinese academia in exploring the stage division of Quaternary mammals in southern China. Come to Dongpao Mountain for a grand reveal, look for novel Dongpao Mountain travel guides, and discover the little-known scenery of Dongpao Mountain. Daodao.com looks forward to your joining and exploring the real Dongpao Mountain together with you.
