Early mammals may have hunted dinosaurs, rare China fossil suggests

An unusual fossil found in China suggests that some early mammals may have preyed on dinosaur, according to new research.

The fossil — which is reported to have dated back to around 125 million years ago — was found in China's Liaoning Province in 2012, the Canadian Museum of Nature said in a release.

It comes from an area of fossil beds dubbed "China's Dinosaur Pompeii," referring to the fossils of animals and dinosaurs in the area that had been buried suddenly by mudslides and debris following volcanic eruptions. 

The existence of such volcanic material in the study's fossil was confirmed, the museum wrote, after analysis from Canadian Museum of Nature mineralogist Dr. Aaron Lussier.

FOSSIL HUNTER SPOTS 450,000-YEAR-OLD ...