Chinese fossil shows mammal attacking and dining on dinosaur
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – Scientists have made an intriguing discovery in northeastern China – a fossil that shows a small mammal attacking and dining on a plant-eating dinosaur. The fossil, dating back to the Cretaceous Period about 125 million years ago, depicts a badger-like mammal called Repenomamus robustus locked in mortal combat with the two-legged dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis.
Previously, it was believed that interactions between dinosaurs and mammals were mostly one-sided, with smaller mammals being the prey of larger dinosaurs. This fossil challenges that belief and provides evidence that smaller mammals could also prey on larger dinosaurs.
“This fossil is significant because it shows that Mesozoic food webs were more complex than we had imagined,” said paleobiologist Jordan Mallon of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, one of the leaders of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The fossil, found in Liaoning Province – also known as the “Chinese Pompeii” due to the presence of various fossils buried in volcanic eruptions – offers a rare snapshot of animals interacting. Repenomamus, measuring 1-1/2 feet long, is seen gripping the jaw and hind leg of the 4-foot-long Psittacosaurus while biting into its ribcage.
The researchers dismissed the idea that the mammal was merely scavenging the dinosaur carcass. The position of Repenomamus on top of the dinosaur, its lack of bite marks on the bones, and the hind foot of the mammal trapped by the dinosaur’s folded hind leg all suggest a predatory interaction rather than scavenging.
Both Repenomamus and Psittacosaurus are not believed to be fully grown individuals at the time of their battle.
While it is not the first instance of a carnivorous dinosaur preying on a plant-eating dinosaur, this fossil provides the first direct evidence of a mammal preying on a dinosaur.
“What’s unique about our fossil is the fact that it demonstrates that Repenomamus was capable of tackling larger dinosaur prey,” Mallon explained.
The fossil offers a rare glimpse into the complexity of prehistoric food webs and challenges long-held assumptions about the interactions between dinosaurs and mammals during the Mesozoic Era.
The study contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the behavior of prehistoric animals was more intricate and dynamic than previously thought.
Reporting by Will Dunham, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien