Many ancient bones found in Utah share an ancient connection to finds coming out of China. Kirkland, Utah's state paleontologist, recently wrapped up a two-week trip to China to help put some of his Utah discoveries into better context.

"You cannot do this stuff without seeing comparative material," Kirkland, who used vacation time for the Chinese expedition, said before departing.

Many of China's paleo finds are documented in books and journals, but sometimes the associated pictures and diagrams fall short. Handling the fossils in person can add new perspective on how they might link to finds in Utah.

One of Utah's more famous recent finds, the bird-like Falcarius utahensis, has relatives in China. During the Cretaceous era, a period from 144 to 65 million years ago that included Falcarius, western North America and China were connected.

"I got to look at some great therizinosaur material," said Kirkland, refering to the family that includes Falcarius.

Jerry Harris, a Dixie State College paleontologist with Chinese research connections, said comparing finds in Utah and China could answer important questions about the evolution of dinosaurs. All sorts of ancient life likely moved in both directions between China and western North America.

Dinosaurs, and other paleontological finds, also could help researchers understand at which times the continents were connected, Harris said.

"We're trying to put together more of the story," Kirkland said, who was in China in 2004 and 1999 as well.

On the latest trip, Kirkland visited several museums as well as active dig sites in the Gobi Desert and western Inner Mongolia. Kirkland's trip was sponsored by Sinofossa, a Montreal-based group offering history and paleontology tours of China.

Kirkland explained that China is among the few areas of the world producing more new paleontological finds than Utah.

"There's no question China is the hottest place in the world to do work in terms of feathered dinosaurs," he said.

China is home to vast stretches of badlands that make for good fossil hunting, said Harris, who did not go on this trip.

"There's just so much unexplored dinosaur-bearing rocks," Harris explained.

While the tour offered Kirkland a chance to examine Cretaceous-era material in person, other Utahns on the trip were excited to see some of China's ongoing excavation efforts.

Judy Sander, a member of the Utah Friends of Paleontology, has spent time in the trenches of several Utah dinosaur digs. The China trip offered a chance for her to volunteer in areas producing some of the world's latest paleo treasures.

"That's part of the excitement going there now," Sander said, "the fact they're bringing out new animals."

Kirkland finds the occasional China trip useful, but would like to see a more organized approach to connecting Chinese and U.S. researchers. Several U.S. paleontologists are trying to secure funding for wider-ranging partnerships with China to explore the paleontological links.

glavine@sltrib.com