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A mammal and a dinosaur grappling

A Psittacosaurus interacting with a Repenomamus robustus, an ancient mammal.
A Psittacosaurus interacting with a Repenomamus robustus, an ancient mammal. Illustration: Copyright 2023 Michael W. Skrepnick / courtesy of Canadian Museum of Nature

In July, a team of paleontologists published a paper in Scientific Reports describing a thrilling, 125-million-year-old fossil: a possum-sized mammal biting down on a beaked dinosaur. The fossil is so incredible because it shows mammals and dinosaurs interacting; though the groups of animals shared the Earth, fossilized examples of it are rare.