Scientists might have found ‘first record of a dinosaur eating a mammal’

Palaeontologists in the United Kingdom after analysing fossil remains from over 100 million years ago, said that they might have found the first known “record of a dinosaur eating a mammal”. The fossil shows a small feathered dinosaur, known as a Microraptor, with the foot of an animal inside its ribcage.

The findings published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, on Tuesday, also suggest that the prey was a mammal the size of a mouse, lived on the ground and was not a good climber. Additionally, previous research also suggests that the three-toed Microraptor which could be the size of a small cat or crow was a carnivorous dinosaur discovered in western China.

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The Microraptor existed between 125 and 113 million years ago and walked on two legs, while experts believe they were capable of guided flight. The fossil which was missing parts of its body but the rib cage was visible inside which was a tiny right foot, less than half an inch in size, was perfectly preserved.

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“It's so rare to find examples of food inside dinosaurs so every example is really important as it gives direct evidence of what they were eating,” said the first author of the study and palaeontologist at the Queen Mary University of London, Dr David Hone.

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The palaeontologist also noted, “While this mammal would absolutely not have been a human ancestor, we can look back at some of our ancient relatives being a meal for hungry dinosaurs.” The specimen in question also belongs to one of the smallest dinosaurs and was first described almost two decades ago, however, it was after a re-analysis that the foot bone was found within the raptor’s rib cage.

(With inputs from agencies)

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