The Discovery Of The Last Meal Eaten By A Dinosaur 120 Million Years Ago
Scientists have discovered a surprise lunch in the stomach of a cat-sized dinosaur in the 120-million-year-old "Microraptor" fossil.
Although the fossil was first described in 2000, it hid an intriguing historical secret, as a re-analysis of the fossil found the bones of a mammal's foot inside the rib cage of a bird-like dinosaur, and this is "the first record of a dinosaur eating a mammal."
The discovery, described in the journal Vertebrate Paleontology on Tuesday, builds on earlier research on the fossil of Microraptor zhaoianus, which was discovered in the Jiufotang Formation in western China.
This fossil is missing the middle part of its body, but the ribcage is visible, and within it a small right foot bone, less than half an inch in size, has been preserved and is in perfect shape.
The analysis suggested that the prey was a mouse-sized mammal that lived on the ground and was not a good climber.
Microraptors were three-toed, carnivorous dinosaurs that inhabited ancient Earth's trees and are among the smallest dinosaurs ever discovered. Fossils of different species of Microraptor show evidence of long feathers on each limb, which may have been used for stooping.
Dr David Hoon of Queen Mary University of London, first author of the study, said: 'It's very rare to find examples of food inside dinosaurs, so every example is really important because it provides direct evidence of what they ate. This study paints a picture of a fascinating moment in time - the first record of a dinosaur eating a mammal - even if it wasn't quite as scary as anything else in Jurassic Park."
Microraptors lived in the ancient forests of what is now China, somewhere between 125 million and 113 million years ago.
Experts believe that some species may be capable of directional flight while moving on their feet. They were the size of crows or small cats, and moved from tree to tree preying on small animals.
Previous research has shown other Microraptor fossils to have preserved non-mammalian food in their stomachs, such as a bird, lizard or fish.
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