Dinosaur and mammal discovered ‘locked in mortal combat’ from 125 million years ago

The fossilised remains are believed to be among the first evidence of a mammal preying on a much larger dinosaur – which was about twice its size. The researchers said their findings question the view dinosaurs roamed the planet unchallenged during the Cretaceous period.

A plant-eating dinosaur and a mammal the size of a badger have been found “locked in mortal combat” from 125 million years ago.

The fossilised remains, believed to be among the first evidence of a mammal preying on a much larger dinosaur – about twice its size – were discovered in Liaoning province in China.

The researchers said their findings question the view  dinosaurs roamed the planet unchallenged during the Cretaceous period, from about 145 to 66 million years ago.

Study author Dr Jordan Mallon, palaeobiologist with the Canadian Museum of Nature, in Ottawa, Canada, said: “The two animals are locked in mortal combat, intimately intertwined, and it’s among the first evidence to show actual predatory behaviour by a mammal on a dinosaur.”

The mammal has been identified as Repenomamus robustus, a badger-like animal measuring around 47cm long.

Repenomamus robustus was among the largest mammals during the Cretaceous, a time when dinosaurs were dominant.

Meanwhile, the dinosaur is Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis, a beaked plant-eating creature around 120cm long.

Previous evidence suggest Repenomamus robustus may have preyed on young dinosaurs.

In 2005 scientists found another Repenomamus robustus fossil with the small bones of a juvenile psittacosaur inside its ribcage.