Researchers Believe Chinese Fossil Shows Mammal Attacking Dinosaur
2023-08-03
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1A new fossil study by researchers from China and Canada suggests that ancient mammals may have attacked and eaten larger dinosaurs.
2The scientists looked at a fossil found by a Chinese farmer in 2012.
3A fossil is the mineralized remains of an animal or plant left in an ancient rock.
4The scientists said the fossil is from 125 million years ago.
5They published their findings recently in the journal Scientific Reports.
6The scientists believe a mammal, similar to a badger, attacked a small, beaked dinosaur.
7During the attack, the animals were caught up in a lava flow from a nearby volcano.
8The moment was locked in time until it was found over 12 years ago.
9Researchers call the place where the fossil was found "China's Pompeii."
10Pompeii was a city in Italy that was caught in a volcanic eruption about 2000 years ago.
11Ash covered the city and preserved moments from daily life.
12Researchers discovered the ruins of the city about 500 years ago.
13In the past, dinosaur researchers believed small, scavenging mammals might have eaten dead dinosaurs.
14However, they were not sure that mammals attacked living dinosaurs.
15Jordan Mallon is a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario. He was one of the study's writers.
16"I've never seen a fossil like this before," he said.
17Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
18He did not work on the study.
19He described the fossil as a "freeze frame" or something like a photograph.
20"It turns the old story on its head," he said.
21Brusatte said the old idea was that dinosaurs ruled the world with small mammals "in the shadows."
22Mallon said he would be happy for other scientists to examine the fossil if they are concerned that it might not be real.
23He described the mammal as about the size of a house cat.
24He said the dinosaur was about the size of an average dog.
25He said the species of dinosaur is Psittacosaurus and the mammal is called Repenomamus.
26The dinosaur ate plants, but other dinosaurs ate meat and hunted mammals.
27Mallon said it would have been more common for a dinosaur to hunt a mammal, but the fossil he studied shows something new.
28"We now know that the mammals were able to fight back, at least at times," he said.
29I'm Dan Friedell.
1A new fossil study by researchers from China and Canada suggests that ancient mammals may have attacked and eaten larger dinosaurs. 2The scientists looked at a fossil found by a Chinese farmer in 2012. A fossil is the mineralized remains of an animal or plant left in an ancient rock. 3The scientists said the fossil is from 125 million years ago. They published their findings recently in the journal Scientific Reports. 4The scientists believe a mammal, similar to a badger, attacked a small, beaked dinosaur. During the attack, the animals were caught up in a lava flow from a nearby volcano. The moment was locked in time until it was found over 12 years ago. 5Researchers call the place where the fossil was found "China's Pompeii." Pompeii was a city in Italy that was caught in a volcanic eruption about 2000 years ago. Ash covered the city and preserved moments from daily life. Researchers discovered the ruins of the city about 500 years ago. 6In the past, dinosaur researchers believed small, scavenging mammals might have eaten dead dinosaurs. However, they were not sure that mammals attacked living dinosaurs. 7Jordan Mallon is a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario. He was one of the study's writers. 8"I've never seen a fossil like this before," he said. 9Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He did not work on the study. He described the fossil as a "freeze frame" or something like a photograph. 10"It turns the old story on its head," he said. Brusatte said the old idea was that dinosaurs ruled the world with small mammals "in the shadows." 11Mallon said he would be happy for other scientists to examine the fossil if they are concerned that it might not be real. 12He described the mammal as about the size of a house cat. He said the dinosaur was about the size of an average dog. 13He said the species of dinosaur is Psittacosaurus and the mammal is called Repenomamus. The dinosaur ate plants, but other dinosaurs ate meat and hunted mammals. 14Mallon said it would have been more common for a dinosaur to hunt a mammal, but the fossil he studied shows something new. 15"We now know that the mammals were able to fight back, at least at times," he said. 16I'm Dan Friedell. 17Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 18____________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20beaked -adj. having a beak like a bird which is made of hard material 21lava -n. melted rock 22eruption -n. the explosion that results when pressure underneath a volcano bursts out 23scavenging -adj. something that does not hunt for live food but that looks for animals killed by other causes 24paleobiologist -n. a scientist who studies prehistoric life 25species -n. a kind of animal or plant that can reproduce with others of its kind 26____________________________________________________ 27We want to hear from you. What do you think of the new information about ancient mammals? 28Here is how our comment system works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.