Scientists discover that prehistoric mammals hunted dinosaurs three times their size

A famous fossil, approximately 125 million years old, gives us a new perspective on the interaction between early mammals and dinosaurs. The research on this find published in the journal Scientific Reports was conducted by Chinese and Canadian scientists. They claim that early mammals did not hide from large dinosaurs, as previously assumed.

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The fossil, which was discovered by a farmer in China's Liaoning province back in 2012, shows a unique hunting scene: a small badger-sized mammal known as Repenomamus sank its teeth into a small herbivorous dinosaur, Psittacosaurus, that was three times its size.

The weight of the young dinosaur is approximately 10.6 kilograms, while the mammal weighed only 3.4 kilograms. The hunting scene captured by the fossil is very expressive, as Repenomamus sits on top of the lying Psittacosaurus and sinks its teeth into its ribs. One of the small mammal's feet is wedged under the dinosaur's body, while the other is in its jaws, indicating a fierce struggle between the two animals.

This discovery casts doubt on the widespread belief that mammals at that time were only hiding from large dinosaurs and finding a niche for themselves after the mass extinction.

The study of this fossil allows us to better understand the life of early mammals and their relationship with dinosaurs. The find is unique and it provides new grounds for studying the history of terrestrial creatures of that time.

As a reminder, a complete skeleton of the most famous dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Rexwas put up for auction in Switzerland.

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