HONG KONG (Reuters) - The first dinosaur fossils found in Hong Kong, likely from a large dinosaur, were put on display on Friday after they were found on a small, uninhabited outlying island, providing new evidence for research on palaeoecology in the financial hub.

The fossils, confirmed to be dated to the Cretaceous period some 145 million to 66 million years ago, need further study to confirm the dinosaur species, authorities said, but it was clear they were large vertebrate animals.

They were found on Port Island, located in the northeast of Hong Kong and known for its red rock formations.

The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said in March the sedimentary rock on Port Island may contain fossils.

China's Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) this week signed an agreement to conduct further research.

In addition to Argentina, Canada and the United States, China is one of the four main countries in the world for both finding and researching dinosaur fossils, said Michael Pittman, an assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

“This extremely exciting discovery now adds local dinosaur fossils to Hong Kong’s strong existing track record of dinosaur research. I hope it inspires greater interest in science and nature in our community and will lead to notable scientific outcomes,” Pittman said.

At the Heritage Discovery Centre inside Hong Kong's Kowloon Park, eager fans gathered early on Friday to catch a glimpse of the fossils.

Chong Got, 66, was one of the first to arrive.

"It's shocking because I never thought there would be dinosaur fossils in Hong Kong."

(Reporting by Farah Master, Joyce Zhou and Tyrone Siu; editing by Lincoln Feast.)