Extraordinary Fossil Reveals Pugnacious Mammal Attacking a Dinosaur

• 22 Jul 2023

Recently, a remarkable fossil was discovered in northeastern China, depicting a fierce badger-like mammal engaging in a predatory attack on a plant-eating dinosaur around 125 million years ago.

Key Points:

• A Fossilized Struggle: The fossil, originating from the Cretaceous Period, offers a captivating sight of an ancient battle between Repenomamus robustus, a four-legged mammal about the size of a domestic cat, and Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, a two-legged dinosaur comparable to a medium-sized dog.
• Buried in Combat: Scientists believe that the entangled Repenomamus and Psittacosaurus were caught in a mortal struggle, meeting their fate when a volcanic mudflow swiftly buried them alive.
• Challenging Traditional Notions: The finding challenges the long-standing belief that dinosaurs always preyed on smaller mammals during the Mesozoic Era.
• Repenomamus' Remarkable Characteristics: The Dinosaur Age's large mammal Repenomamus, one of the largest mammals during the dinosaur age, exhibited distinctive features, including short and sprawling limbs, a long tail, a robust skull, and shearing teeth.