Scientists believe they have discovered the first case of a mammal being eaten by a dinosaur.

Accordingly, the foot of an animal that lived 120 million years ago has been found inside the chest cavity of a dinosaur , shedding light on the diet of prehistoric creatures.

Paleontologists in the UK analyzed the fossils of a small feathered dinosaur known as a microraptor and discovered that it appeared to have eaten a small mammal the size of an animal. mouse.

The discovery, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, is the “first record for a mammal-eating dinosaur,” the scientists said.

Microraptor is about the size of a small cat or a crow and can glide from tree to tree to hunt small animals.

Illustration of a microraptor. (Photo: Sky News)

Dr. David Hone, from Queen Mary University of London, UK, the study’s author, said: “It is very rare to find samples of food inside dinosaurs. So every specimen is really important. important because it provides direct evidence of what they ate.

Although this mammal is not a human ancestor at all, we can look back to some of our ancient relatives as a meal for hungry dinosaurs.

This study paints a picture of a moment, which is also the first record of a dinosaur eating mammals.”

Source: vtv.vn