A fascinating discovery in China suggests that some early mammals may have feasted on dinosaurs, according to the AP. The fossil reveals a badger-like creature devouring a small, beaked dinosaur, their skeletons intertwined. This remarkable find comes from a site known as “China’s Pompeii,” where volcanic remnants and mud have preserved ancient creatures. “It appears to be a prehistoric hunt, captured in stone like a freeze frame,” remarked Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the study.
The fossil, featured in the journal Scientific Reports on Tuesday, depicts two creatures from approximately 125 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. Despite its smaller size, experts believe that the mammal was attacking the dinosaur when they both became trapped in volcanic flow. The mammal clings to the dinosaur, grasping its jaw and hind limb while its teeth pierce the ribcage. “I’ve never encountered a fossil like this previously,” stated Jordan Mallon, a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature and the study’s author.
While the theory that mammals consumed dinosaur flesh had been previously proposed based on another fossil showing dinosaur remnants in a mammal’s gut, this new discovery suggests that mammals may have actively hunted and preyed on dinosaurs much larger than themselves, rather than merely scavenging dead ones. “This challenges the long-held notion of the Age of Dinosaurs as a period dominated by dinosaurs, with small mammals hiding in the shadows,” commented Brusatte. The carnivorous mammal in the fossil pair is Repenomamus robustus, approximately the size of a house cat, while the dinosaur, Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, was about the size of a medium-sized dog and possessed a parrotlike beak.
(Read more dinosaur stories.)
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