London, UK: British scientists claim that they may have uncovered the first known incident of a mammal being eaten by a dinosaur.
The fossils from 120 million years ago are not of a human ancestor, but instead the foot of an animal inside the ribcage of a small feathered dinosaur, known as a Microraptor. According to the palaeontologists, whose research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, their findings are the “first record of a dinosaur eating a mammal.”
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.
Dr. David Hone from the Queen Mary University of London remarked.
“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. This study paints a picture of a fascinating moment in time – the first record of a dinosaur eating a mammal – even if it isn’t quite as frightening as anything in Jurassic Park,” Dr. Hone remarked.
Microraptors lived in the ancient forests of what is now China, somewhere between 125 million and 113 million years ago, as per the report.
The specialists cited that certain species may have had the ability to fly while they were on two legs. They went from tree to tree, hunting tiny animals, and were around the size of small cats or crows.
The specimen was first described more than 20 years ago, in 2000, but researchers said the previous team had failed to see the remains of another animal inside the dinosaur. The analysis observed the prey was a mouse-sized creature that lived on the ground and was not a proficient climber.
Other fossilised Microraptors have been found in the past with preserved non-mammal food in their stomachs, like a bird, lizard, or fish.