Fossils have given the world a glimpse of the past, but more importantly, evidence that challenges current beliefs and understandings of how the world worked before. Researchers have recently discovered two animals amidst the Cretaceous period that were locked in mortal combat towards their demise, with a mammal eating a dinosaur alive.
No, this is not the famous NetherRealm and WB's game, but a real-life occurrence some 125 million years ago, with the animal opposing significant beliefs during the dinosaur era.
Fossil of a Mammal Eating a Dinosaur Alive Discovered 125M Years Ago
One may think, no one would be foolish enough to challenge the mighty reptiles of the earlier days, but think again, as this new study from the Canadian Museum of Nature changes ancient beliefs. The fossil that was recently discovered holds a significant story where a Reponomamus mammal was seen eating a Psittacosaurus dinosaur before dying.
Both animals died entangled with each other which the researchers date back to around 125 million years ago.
Apart from being a stellar discovery, this also challenges the established beliefs that dinosaurs were considered to be "almighty," and not see any threats from other animals.
However, this new fossil clearly shows that dinosaurs still faced threats, especially those that were plant-eaters, from the carnivorous mammals back in the day.
Animals in Mortal Combat: Now Challenging Ancient Beliefs
"The two animals are locked in mortal combat, intimately intertwined, and it's among the first evidence to show actual predatory behavior by a mammal on a dinosaur," said co-author Dr. Jordan Mallon, palaeobiologist from the Canadian Museum of Nature.
According to Interesting Engineering, this fossil was discovered from the Liujitun fossil beds in China's Liaoning Province.
Dinosaurs and Ancient Animal Fossils
Evidence of the past has introduced us to the dinosaurs, the massive reptiles that came and went from being the most feared predators on Earth, to bones and skulls in the modern day. There is only so much to learn from these fossils now that they are extinct, with researchers discovering the earliest evidence of when they first shifted their diet to eating other animals present, around 120 million years ago.
Despite their fearsome appearance and monstrous sizes, not all dinosaurs were a threat to the early Earth dwellers and their environment, as some were peaceful herbivores. Species of dinosaurs were recently discovered by AI to be herbivores, despite years of belief that these were once a menace to early society, with two of its earliest species being bipedal and only eating plants.
For years now, researchers have believed that dinosaurs saw no competition during the Jurassic era, especially with their massive appearances and immense strength. However, they were still subject to the food chain, especially those who are known for their pacifism, a.k.a. the herbivore dinosaurs, with a recent discovery now changing history with evidence of a mammal eating a dinosaur.
