Coexistence of mammals and dinosaurs is very well documented. Both groups are believed to have originated in late Triassic period and diversified during Mesozoic period. These distinct group of creatures interacted with each other and evidence has been found in the past that dinosaurs ate mammals. Similarly now a fossil has been described as evidence of the fact that mammals preyed on dinosaurs. The said fossil was discovered in China in 2012.

The fossil in question is a rare one in which complete skeleton of two creatures has been preserved, a mammal and a dinosaur. Mammal is meat eating ‘Repenomamus robustus’ while dinosaur is plant eating ‘Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis’. Researchers have concluded that the two creatures were fighting at the time of sudden burial under the volcanic debris. In the said brawl mammal was the predator and dinosaur was the prey despite the fact that dinosaur was larger compared to the mammal. Mammal was of the size of house cat while dinosaur was of the size of a Labrador retriever. This fresh description of the 2012 discovered fossil provides evidence of few startling facts:

1. Mammals preyed on dinosaurs.
2. Mammals preyed on dinosaurs bigger than them in size.
3. If mammals were fodder for dinosaurs then reverse was also true.

Researchers have put in extra effort to rule out forgery

Fossil forgery is quite common and researchers have made serious efforts to rule out forgery in the case of the said fossil and finally concluded that it is not a fake. This fossil was unearthed way back in 2012 in china by farmers. The find was too remarkable to be accepted as genuine without thorough investigation. Creation of the fossil was itself once in a blue moon occurrence. A brawl was going on 125 million years ago between a dinosaur and a mammal, smaller mammal was the predator and bigger dinosaur was the prey, mammal had its teeth firmly clamped into dinosaur’s ribcage, and then suddenly volcanic debris fell on the duo burying them and preserving them in the fossil. This unbelievable piece of fossil needed to be checked by researchers thoroughly for any kind of forgery.

Conclusion

It has been always believed that during the era of dinosaurs mammals were meek creatures living a pathetic life. It was believed widely that mammals were fodder for dinosaurs but this fossil says a different story. It provides evidence that mammals also preyed on dinosaurs and that too on those that were comparatively bigger in size than them.