Rare 125 million-year-old fossil shows mammal eating a dinosaur alive
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Scientists have unveiled a gripping prehistoric battle preserved in an extraordinary 125-million-year-old fossil, according to a study published in Scientific Reports on July 18.
The discovery captures a moment when a carnivorous mammal took on a larger plant-eating dinosaur, challenging the belief that dinosaurs were largely unopposed by their mammal counterparts during the Cretaceous era.
This mammal preyed on dinosaurs
"The two animals are locked in mortal combat, intimately intertwined, and it's among the first evidence to show actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur," said co-author Dr. Jordan Mallon, palaeobiologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature, in a press release.
The fossil duo consists of a Psittacosaurus, a species of horned dinosaur similar in size to a large dog, and a Repenomamus robustus, a badger-like mammal.
Though not substantial by dinosaur standards, the Repenomamus was among the largest mammals of its time, a period where mammals had not yet achieved dominance.
Before this discovery, paleontologists had evidence that Repenomamus preyed on dinosaurs, including Psittacosaurs, based on fossilized baby dinosaur bones found in the mammal's stomach.
However, "what's new to science through this amazing fossil is the predatory behavior it shows," explained Mallon.
The fossils were excavated in China's Liaoning Province from the Liujitun fossil beds, known as "China's Dinosaur Pompeii."
This site contains an abundance of well-preserved fossils of dinosaurs, small mammals, lizards, and amphibians, all quickly buried by mudslides and debris following volcanic eruptions.
A detailed examination of the fossilized duo reveals the Psittacosaurus lying prone, with its hindlimbs folded beside its body.
Repenomamus, on the other hand, coils to the right, perched on top of its prey, gripping the dinosaur's jaw and biting into its ribs while grasping its hind leg.
How do we know it was an attack?
The researchers, led by Dr. Mallon, ruled out scavenging as the cause of the predator-prey interaction. The absence of tooth marks on the dinosaur's bones suggests that it was not dead and being scavenged but actively hunted.
Moreover, the entangled position of the two creatures indicates that the dinosaur was likely alive during the attack, making Repenomamus the aggressor.
The authors highlighted that comparable instances of smaller animals attacking larger prey are observable today. For example, lone wolverines have been known to hunt larger animals.
Various African predators like wild dogs, jackals, and hyenas attack live prey, causing them to collapse in shock.
"This might be the case of what's depicted in the fossil, with the Repenomamus actually eating the Psittacosaurus while it was still alive—before both were killed in the roily aftermath," explained Mallon.
The research team believes that the Lujiatun fossil beds will continue to yield new insights into species interactions, providing valuable information absent from the rest of the fossil record.
The complete study was published in Scientific Reports on July 18 and can be found here.
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