A herd of animals led by two "mammoths" and nine "dinosaurs" are causing a stir in the central Chinese city of Chongqing.

"China's Prehistoric Animal Fossil Exhibition" is underway at the city's Liberation Monument Square. More than 30 precious artifacts are on display. The show features relics from well-known museums in 8 provinces and cities.

Many of the fossils are considered national treasures and date between the Jurassic and the Quatenary periods 190 million years ago. Among the highlights are the bones of nine dinosaurs and a well-preserved woolly mammoth skeleton.

Researchers estimate the 2-and-a-half-meter-tall mammoth is about three million years old. A nearby mechanical replica mimics the movements and sound of the real thing.

This exhibition runs until May 24th.

(Xinhua News Agency Apirl 28, 2009)