- Paleontologist Hans Larsson found a small mammal foot in the rib of a dinosaur fossil.
- The reptile was carnivorous and bird-like, according to McGill University.
The key to a small, four-winged dinosaur species' survival was not being fussy about what it ate, the examination of a rare fossil revealed.
Paleontologist Hans Larsson, a professor at McGill University, was the first to notice a small mammal foot lodged in between the bones of a fossilized Microraptor, a carnivorous dino with birdish wings. The discovery shows the dino ate a long list of animals, including mammals, fish, birds, and lizards, $4.
"These finds are the only solid evidence we have about the food consumption of these long-extinct animals – and they are exceptionally rare," Larsson $4. The revelation that the animal was an "opportunistic" eater "puts a new perspective on how ancient ecosystems may have worked," he added.
Only 20 other fossils have been found with the fossilized bones of their meals inside, $4, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, $4.
Microraptor fossils were first discovered in the early 2000s in Liaoning, China, located in the northeast part of the country along the Yellow Sea. Scientists have $4 because it had four wings, and the two additional wings created drag when it moved.
Its ability to make a snack out of all kinds of animals may not have been enough for make up for two too many wings.