Dinosaurs in the mammal diet
2005/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria
It is said that the mesozoic was the age of dinosaurs, who were owners. Mammals, on the other hand, were considered small, the size of mice. But little by little they discover remains of larger mammals.
Two interesting fossils from 130 million years ago have been found at the site of the Chinese region of Liaoning: a Repenomamus robustus with bones of a dinosaur brood in the stomach and, nearby, another larger mammal that until now was not known. The latter has been called Repenomamus giganticus.
The fossil study has revealed that R. giganticus had an approximate length of one meter and a weight of between 12 and 14 kilos. And observing the teeth and gag have come to the conclusion that this mammal, like R. robustus, was also carnivorous, so it could also eat dinosaurs.
R. robustus was already known by paleontologists, but they did not believe he had dinosaurs in his diet. In the case of this fossil was the son of a Psittacosaurus who had in the stomach. But if you want to know the way of life of these mammals in a more reliable way, more fossils will be needed. And paleontologists hope that as the work of the deposit advances, the largest mammals of Mesozoic are known.
