VOA科学技术2023--Researchers Believe Chinese Fossil Shows Mammal Attacking Dinosaur

Researchers Believe Chinese Fossil Shows Mammal Attacking Dinosaur¹

A new fossil study by researchers from China and Canada suggests that ancient mammals may have attacked and eaten larger dinosaurs².

The scientists looked at a fossil found by a Chinese farmer in 2012. A fossil is the mineralized remains³ of an animal or plant left in an ancient rock.

The scientists said the fossil is from 125 million years ago. They published their findings recently in the journal Scientific Reports.

The scientists believe a mammal, similar to a badger⁴, attacked a small, beaked⁶ dinosaur. During the attack, the animals were caught up in a lava⁷ flow from a nearby volcano. The moment was locked in time until it was found over 12 years ago.

Researchers call the place where the fossil was found "China's Pompeii." Pompeii was a city in Italy that was caught in a volcanic⁸ eruption⁹ about 2000 years ago. Ash covered the city and preserved moments from daily life. Researchers discovered the ruins of the city about 500 years ago.

In the past, dinosaur researchers believed small, scavenging mammals might have eaten dead dinosaurs. However, they were not sure that mammals attacked living dinosaurs.

Jordan Mallon is a paleobiologist at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Ontario. He was one of the study's writers.

"I've never seen a fossil like this before," he said.

Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He did not work on the study. He described the fossil as a "freeze frame" or something like a photograph.

"It turns the old story on its head," he said. Brusatte said the old idea was that dinosaurs ruled the world with small mammals "in the shadows."

Mallon said he would be happy for other scientists to examine the fossil if they are concerned that it might not be real.

He described the mammal as about the size of a house cat. He said the dinosaur was about the size of an average dog.

He said the species of dinosaur is Psittacosaurus and the mammal is called Repenomamus. The dinosaur ate plants, but other dinosaurs ate meat and hunted mammals.

Mallon said it would have been more common for a dinosaur to hunt a mammal, but the fossil he studied shows something new.

"We now know that the mammals were able to fight back, at least at times," he said.

Words in This Story

beaked –adj. having a beak⁵ like a bird which is made of hard material

lava –n. melted rock

eruption –n. the explosion that results when pressure underneath¹⁰ a volcano bursts out

scavenging –adj. something that does not hunt for live food but that looks for animals killed by other causes

paleobiologist –n. a scientist who studies prehistoric¹¹ life

species –n. a kind of animal or plant that can reproduce with others of its kind

1 dinosaur   

n.恐龙

参考例句：

• Are you trying to tell me that David was attacked by a dinosaur?你是想要告诉我大卫被一支恐龙所攻击？
• He stared at the faithful miniature of the dinosaur.他凝视著精确的恐龙缩小模型。

2 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 badger   

v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠

参考例句：

• Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
• If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他，我相信他会同意。

5 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

6 beaked   

adj.有喙的，鸟嘴状的

参考例句：

• A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him. 狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。 来自互联网
• Most of the other fossils come from rhynchosaurs (parrot-beaked reptiles). 其他大部分化石来自剪嘴龙（嘴像鹦鹉的爬行动物）。 来自互联网

7 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

8 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

9 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

10 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

11 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。