GO, MAMMALS!

Here’s the paleo version of a "Man Bits Dog" story . . .

DATELINE: 130 million years ago.

HEADLINE: MAMMAL EATS DINO!

And we’ve dug up the proof!

EXCERPTS: 

In China, scientists have identified the fossilized remains of a tiny dinosaur in the stomach of a mammal. Scientists say the animal’s last meal probably is the first proof that mammals hunted small dinosaurs some 130 million years ago.

It contradicts conventional evolutionary theory that early mammals couldn’t possibly attack and eat a dinosaur because they were timid, chipmunk-sized creatures that scurried in the looming shadow of the giant reptiles.

In this case, the mammal was about the size of a large cat, and the victim was a very young "parrot dinosaur" that measured about 5 inches long.

A second mammal fossil found at the same site claims the distinction of being the largest early mammal ever found. It’s about the size of a modern dog, a breathtaking 20 times larger than most mammals living in the early Cretaceous Period.

The dinosaur-eater belongs to a species called Repenomamus robustus, known previously from skull fragments. It has no modern relatives.

The squat, toothy specimen measures a little less than 2 feet long, and probably weighed about 15 pounds. On R. robustus’ left side and under the ribs in the area of its stomach are the fragmented remains of a very young Psittacosaurus.

This common, fast-moving plant-eater is known as the "parrot dinosaur" because it had a small head with a curved, horny beak. Its arms were much shorter than its legs. Adults grew to be 6 feet long, but the one that was devoured was just 5 inches.

The remains still are recognizable, indicating that R. robustus ripped its prey like a crocodile, but probably had not developed the ability to chew food like more advanced mammals.

"It must have swallowed food in large hunks," Meng said.

Originally, scientists believed that mammals remained small because larger dinosaurs were hunting them. Only after dinosaurs went extinct by 65 million years ago did surviving mammals begin to grow larger, they reasoned.

"Maybe small dinosaurs got larger — or got off the ground — to avoid rapacious mammals,” wonders Duke University paleontologist Anne Weil.

YEE-HAW! GO, MAMMALS! GIT THEM DINOS!

GIT THE STORY.

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live." View all posts by Jimmy Akin