Fossil reveals a dinosaur in battle with a badger-like animal 125 million years ago
Dinosaur skeleton at the Natural History Museum Vienna, 2016 - Photo by shutterstock
Archaeological discovery showed a fight to the death, 125 million years ago; Where its details were revealed recently, with the knowledge of archaeologists; Where they discovered a fossil of a dinosaur and a mammal resembling a badger or “dog”, they remained captive in a battle between them to the death .. The 125-million-year-old fossil recorded the dramatic moment of the attack of a large plant-eating dinosaur by a carnivorous mammal.
According to the dailymail website: Scientists have uncovered an incredible fossil of a dinosaur and a badger-like mammal locked in a fight to the death. The 125-million-year-old fossil captures, The dramatic moment in which a large, plant-eating dinosaur was attacked by a carnivorous mammal is among the first evidence to show that mammals attacked larger dinosaurs. Instead of targeting only its young, the dinosaur found in the well-preserved fossil, a type of Psittacosaurus, was about the size of a large dog; It is about 120 cm long.. Its name means "parrot lizard", and the mammals in the fossil pair are represented by a badger-like animal, called Repenomamus robustus, with a length of about 47 cm.
The largest mammals during the Cretaceous period
Dinosaur fossil remains - Image from shutterstock
Although not large by dinosaur standards, they were among the largest mammals during the Cretaceous period, at a time when mammals had not yet dominated the Earth. The fossil was collected in China's Liaoning Province, and both skeletons are almost complete. A closer look shows the mammal perching on top of its prey, holding onto the jaws of the larger dinosaur. It can also be seen biting into the ribs of the dinosaur, while using its hind foot to grip the hind leg of the dinosaur. The couple were suddenly buried by mudslides and debris after a volcanic eruption.
A deadly fight between two animals
Dr Jordan Mallon, co-author of the study from the Canadian Museum of Nature, said: 'The two animals locked in deadly combat, closely intertwined, are among the first pieces of evidence to show actual predatory behavior of a mammal on a dinosaur. The coexistence of these two animals is not new, but what is new to science with this amazing fossil is the predatory behavior it exhibits...the weight of evidence indicates that an active attack was underway."
Source: websites