Fossilized discovery in China of a mammal attacking a dinosaur

A fossilized scene preserved in amber has revealed a small mammal-like creature, roughly the size of a shrew, sinking its teeth into the ribs of a dinosaur three times its size. The remarkable find, which occurred 125 million years ago in China, suggests that small mammals were capable of attacking and preying on dominant dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period.

Researchers, in an article published in the journal Scientific Reports on Tuesday, explained that the fossilized duel between the two animals provides compelling evidence of the predatory behavior of small mammals towards the dinosaurs that once dominated the era.

Jordan Mallon, a paleontologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature who participated in the study conducted by Chinese scientists, stated, "This is the first time we've found fossil evidence of direct interaction between a mammal and a dinosaur. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the fossil."

It was previously believed that mammals were too small to pose a threat to dinosaurs during the millions of years they coexisted.

However, the fossilized remains reveal a Repenomamus robustus mammal dominating a Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, a herbivorous dinosaur measuring about 1.2 meters long with a parrot-like beak.

Clearly visible in the fossil is the mammal, one of the largest of its time but weighing no more than a third of the dinosaur's weight, embedding its sharp teeth into the ribs of its prey while gripping the dinosaur's hind leg.

Mallon inferred from the structural entanglement of the skeletal remains that the mammal did not merely scavenge the dinosaur carcass but actively attacked it.

No bite marks are present on the dinosaur's skeletal structure that would typically be left by a scavenger.

While it is rare for mammals to attack significantly larger animals, an exception still exists today with the wolverine, which has been observed attacking animals much larger than itself.

The fossil does not indicate whether Repenomamus robustus hunted alone or in groups.

The nearly complete skeletal remains were discovered in 2012 in the Liaoning Province in northeast China.

This site, known as the "Chinese Pompeii," contains numerous dinosaur and other animal remains preserved in volcanic ash similar to those found in the ancient Roman city.

The first fossil, discovered in 2005, showed that mammals were capable of feeding on dinosaurs.

However, this new fossil provides the first evidence of "the existence of at least some violent mammals in or around the Cretaceous period (...) capable of overcoming an adult dinosaur," according to Jordan Mallon.

This discovery will be showcased at an elementary school museum in the Chinese city of Weihai.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP