‘Exceptionally rare’ find proves dinosaur species were not picky eaters, researchers say

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.

Palaeontologist Hans Larsson, a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, was the first to notice a small mammal foot lodged in between the bones of a fossilised microraptor, a carnivorous dinosaur with wings. The discovery shows the dinosaur ate a long list of animals including mammals, fish, birds, and lizards, the university announced in a press release on December 21.

“These finds are the only solid evidence we have about the food consumption of these long-extinct animals – and they are exceptionally rare,” Larsson said in the release. 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 fossilised bones of their meals inside, according to McGill, and this is the first time a fossil has shown that any dinosaur ate mammals, The Economic Times reported.