Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
Fierce mammal and its dinosaur prey fossilized in volcanic eruption

Fierce mammal and its dinosaur prey fossilized in volcanic eruption

CBC
Wednesday, July 19, 2023 10:44 AM GMT

A badger-like mammal died while chomping into the ribs of a hapless horned plant-eating dinosaur struggling to escape more than 100 million years ago. The pair were perfectly preserved, still locked in combat, in "China's dinosaur Pompeii," researchers report.

Dating to the Cretaceous Period, the dramatic fossil unearthed in northeastern China shows the four-legged mammal Repenomamus robustus — the size of a domestic cat — ferociously entangled with the beaked two-legged dinosaur Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, as big as a medium-sized dog.

Scientists suspect they were suddenly engulfed in a volcanic mudflow and buried alive during mortal combat.

"Dinosaurs nearly always outsized their mammal contemporaries, so traditional belief has been that their interactions were unilateral — the bigger dinosaurs always ate the smaller mammals," said paleobiologist Jordan Mallon of the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, who helped lead the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Here, we have good evidence for a smaller mammal preying on a larger dinosaur, which is not something we would have guessed without this fossil," Mallon said.

Most mammals during the Mesozoic Era, the age of dinosaurs, were shrew-sized bit players in the larger theatre of life, doing well to avoid becoming someone else's lunch. Repenomamus shows that at least some mammals gave as good as they got.

"I think what's key here is that Mesozoic food webs were more complex than we had imagined," Mallon said.

The area in Liaoning Province where the virtually complete fossil was found is called the "Chinese Pompeii," owing to various fossils of animals buried in volcanic eruptions.

Examining the fossil was like a crime scene analysis. Repenomamus is perched atop the prone Psittacosaurus, gripping the jaw and hind leg while biting into the ribcage. Repenomamus measures 47 centimetres (18 inches) long. Psittacosaurus is 120 centimetres (four feet) long. Both are thought to be not quite full adults.

"There have been specimens of carnivorous dinosaurs preying on plant-eating dinosaurs before, but there has never been an example of a mammal preying on a dinosaur," said Canadian Museum of Nature paleontologist and study co-author Xiao-Chun Wu.

It is rare to find fossils showing animals interacting. Another fossil found in the 1970s in Mongolia shows two dinosaurs — predator Velociraptor and plant-eater Protoceratops — fighting about 80 million years ago before being buried alive, perhaps in a collapsing sand dune.

The researchers discounted the idea that the Repenomamus and Psittacosaurus fossil showed a mammal merely scavenging a carcass.

"For one, the mammal is on top of the dinosaur as though it was trying to subdue it, which the scavenging hypothesis doesn't account for," Mallon said.

"Second, there are no bite marks on the bones of the dinosaur, which we would expect if it had been sitting out for long, exposed to scavengers. Lastly, the hind foot of the mammal is trapped by the folded hind leg of the dinosaur, which is unlikely to have happened if the dinosaur had already been dead when the mammal came across it," he said.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
Researchers retract, then re-publish study linking wildfire smoke and dementia

Last year, researchers said they had identified a link between wildfire smoke and increased risk of dementia. 

Young Inuit take to the skies in pilot training program with dreams of serving Nunavik

An enthusiastic applause greets Melissa Haney as she walks into a classroom at Iguarsivik high school in Puvirnituq, Nunavik. She was just introduced as the first Inuk woman to captain a Boeing 737. 

Could your beach reads actually be therapeutic? Bibliotherapy suggests they might

This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.

Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games postponed to 2026 due to wildfires

The Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games (MISG) that were scheduled to begin next week in Norway House Cree Nation, have been postponed to next year.

What is the essence of cool? A global study narrows it down to 6 key traits

Cool is cool, no matter where you are in the world.

How some students with disabilities avoid the 'transition cliff' after high school

For the past 10 months, Toronto student Danial Young rose at 6 a.m. on weekdays to attend a program vastly different from what he'd known, leaving friends and familiar teachers behind as he ventured into new spaces and was challenged to develop new skills. 

Ancient Saskatchewan archaeological site falls victim to illegal scavenging

A crucial archaeological site in Saskatchewan has become a target for illegal scavenging.

Decision to refill Lake Pisiquid coming with side-effects, say some Windsor residents

Some Windsor, N.S., residents say a two-year-old decision to close the gates of an aboiteau and keep Lake Pisiquid filled with water is unnecessary and causing other problems.

First Nations opposition to Bill C-5 draws comparisons to Idle No More movement

As more First Nations voice opposition to Bill C-5, some are drawing comparisons to the 2012 Idle No More movement. 

Islanders are being asked to help track the rare smooth greensnake this summer

If you spot a smooth greensnake in the wild on Prince Edward Island this summer, the province's Forests, Fish and Wildlife Division wants to hear from you.

News got you down? Counsellors explain why doom scrolling is so easy — and how to limit it

Western Canada glaciers melting twice as fast as in previous decade, research says; Nigerian judge convicts man of sextorting B.C. teen who died by suicide; Overdose deaths tick up to 165 in April: B.C. Coroners Service; Her husband died after a lung transplant. Now she has to sell her home to pay the bills; Gaza health authorities say Israel kills 44 waiting for aid as war's death toll passes 56,000. 

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us