Ancient Fossil Reveals Mammal's Epic Battle with Dinosaur

A fossil discovered in northeastern China reveals a small mammal, Repenomamus robustus, attacking and preying on a larger plant-eating dinosaur, Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, during the Cretaceous Period about 125 million years ago. This finding challenges the traditional belief that dinosaurs always ate smaller mammals. The fossil suggests that Mesozoic food webs were more complex than previously thought, with some mammals giving as good as they got. The fossil was found in the "Chinese Pompeii," an area known for volcanic eruptions that buried various animals. The researchers ruled out scavenging, as the mammal was found on top of the dinosaur and there were no bite marks on the bones.