In an 'exceptionally rare' finding, researchers found the foot of a mammal inside the stomach of a dinosaur.
Another observation researchers made was the foot belonged to an animal about the size of a mouse. Analysis of the bones suggested it was a ground animal that wasn't good at climbing, which made it an interesting choice of food for the Microraptor since it spent most of its life gliding from tree to tree. The dinosaur is from the early Cretaceous Period, when present day China was covered in forests.
Previous research found the species ate fish, birds and lizards, so researchers were unsure if it preyed on the mammal or scavenged a dead mammal. Larsson said the findings suggested the dinosaur was not a picky eater, and could be evidence of a general dinosaur carnivore. "While this mammal would absolutely not have been a human ancestor, we can look back at some of our ancient relatives being a meal for hungry dinosaurs," Hone said.
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