Current:Home > Contact-usFossil shows mammal, dinosaur "locked in mortal combat"-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Fossil shows mammal, dinosaur "locked in mortal combat"
View Date:2024-12-23 20:24:03
A first-of-its-kind fossil of a mammal and a dinosaur from around 125 million years ago "locked in mortal combat" challenges the idea that dinosaurs ruled the land, researchers wrote in a study published Tuesday.
The new fossil, discovered on May 16, 2012, in China's Liaoning Province, shows a mammal attacking a dinosaur about three times its size. The mammal, a carnivorous Repenomamus robustus, was the clear aggressor, researchers wrote in the journal Scientific Reports.
"The mammal died while biting two of the dinosaur's left anterior dorsal ribs; its mandible plunges downward into the indurated sediment to firmly clasp the bones," the study's authors wrote.
The discovery of the two creatures is among the first evidence to show actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur, Dr. Jordan Mallon, palaeobiologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature and co-author on the study, said in a press release.
Repenomamus robustus is a badger-like animal that was among the largest mammals living during the Cretaceous period.
The dinosaur was identified as a Psittacosaurus, an herbivore about the size of a large dog.
Paleontologists had previously surmised Repenomamus preyed on dinosaurs because of fossilized bones found in the mammal's stomach.
"The co-existence of these two animals is not new, but what's new to science through this amazing fossil is the predatory behavior it shows," Mallon said.
Experts believe the attack was preserved when the two animals got caught in a volcanic flow. The area where the fossil was discovered has become known as "China's Pompeii" because of the many fossils of animals that were buried en masse by mudslides and debris following one or more volcanic eruptions.
After the find, scientists worked to confirm the fossil was not a forgery. The researchers said the intertwined skeletons and the completeness of the skeletons suggest the find is legitimate and that the animals were not transported prior to burial.
Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the research, tweeted about the find, suggesting it was like Wile E. Coyote catching the roadrunner. He said the find turns "the old story of dinosaur dominance on its head."
- In:
- Fossil
Aliza Chasan is a digital producer at 60 Minutes and CBS News.
TwitterveryGood! (254)
Related
- Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
- Kyle Chandler in talks to play new 'Green Lantern' in new HBO series, reports say
- LaBrant Family Faces Backlash for Having Daughter Everleigh Dance to Diddy Song
- Senate chairman demands answers from emergency rooms that denied care to pregnant patients
- Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
- Brett Favre reveals Parkinson's diagnosis during congressional hearing
- Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ is one from the heart
- Senate chairman demands answers from emergency rooms that denied care to pregnant patients
- 1 monkey captured, 42 monkeys still on the loose after escaping research facility in SC
- The Daily Money: The high cost of campus housing
Ranking
- Tech consultant testifies that ‘bad joke’ led to deadly clash with Cash App founder Bob Lee
- Almost all small businesses are using a software tool that is enabled by AI
- Video captures Sabrina Carpenter flirting with fan at first 'Short n' Sweet' tour stop
- Marcellus Williams to be executed in Missouri woman's brutal murder; clemency denied
- NYC bans unusual practice of forcing tenants to pay real estate brokers hired by landlords
- Georgia court could reject counting presidential votes for Cornel West and Claudia De la Cruz
- Why could Helene trigger massive rainfall inland? Blame the Fujiwhara effect
- Proof Austin Swift's Girlfriend Sydney Ness Is Just as Big a Football Fan as Taylor Swift
Recommendation
-
Certifying this year’s presidential results begins quietly, in contrast to the 2020 election
-
NBA preseason schedule: Key dates as 2024-25 regular season rapidly approaches
-
Brent Venables says Oklahoma didn't run off QB Dillon Gabriel: 'You can't make a guy stay'
-
DWTS Pro Ezra Sosa Shares Why Partner Anna Delvey Cried in the Bathroom After Premiere
-
Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
-
Johnny Depp Addresses Media Frenzy over His and Amber Heard's Legal Battle
-
Meet Libra, the Zodiac's charming peacemaker: The sign's personality traits, dates
-
DWTS Pro Ezra Sosa Shares Why Partner Anna Delvey Cried in the Bathroom After Premiere