‘Not always king’: fossil shows mammal sinking teeth into dinosaur
July 18, 2023
Whether they had sharp teeth, vicious claws or were simply enormous, dinosaurs were creatures to be feared. But a newly identified fossil shows that, at least sometimes, the underdog bit back.
Experts revealed the 125m-year-old fossil that froze in time after being taken on by a small mammal a third of its size. They are tangled together, the mammal’s teeth sunk into the beaked dinosaur’s ribs, its left paw clasping the beast’s lower jaw.
Researchers said the discovery challenged a long-held view of early mammals as “fodder” for dinosaurs.
Dr Jordan Mallon, a co-author of the study, based at the Canadian Museum of Nature, said: “This new fossil teaches us that in the Mesozoic ‘age of dinosaurs’, dinosaurs were not always king. Even the smaller mammals could pose a threat, foreshadowing their rise to dominance 66m years ago.”
https://www.theguardian.com/science/...r-mammal-fight
