A rare dino-fossil has led researchers at the University of Alberta to a discovery they say may forever change the way the Cretaceous period is looked at.

After unearthing two well preserved fossils from China’s Liaoning province, researchers have been able to get a more clear grasp of the eating habits of Sinocalliopteryx, a feathered, flightless, dinosaur they say is an ancestor of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

“This shows that some dinosaurs, like modern day animals, may have been specialized to hunt certain types of prey,” grad student Scott Persons said.

His team found remains of primitive birds and a Sinornithosaurus, part of the raptor family, inside two fossilized Sinocalliopteryx.

“This tells us about the very interesting habitat from China at the time, it was a wooded environment and in this environment there were lots of animals climbing around in the trees.”

The Sinocalliopteryx is believed to be a feathered dinosaur that could grow up to 2.5 metres in length, and due to its inability to fly or climb, would have had to use stealth to stalk its flying prey.

Researchers said this is the first time one predator has been linked to the killing of multiple flying dinosaurs.

It is also the first confirmed case of a raptor being another meat-eaters meal, Persons said.

fossils

“These are beautifully preserved fossils,” Persons said.

“Underneath we can see the rib cage, and we can see these birds preserved over top of one set of ribs, and underneath another, literally inside the rib cage.”

Although the dinosaurs in question aren’t the ones that everyone is familiar with, Persons said understanding their habitat is hugely important in understanding the habitat of some of the more famous prehistoric giants.

“When people think of dinosaurs everyone likes to think of the clash of the titans, the T. Rex versus the Triceratops,” Persons said.

“These animals are the precursors to some of the more well known dinosaurs that we saw in Jurassic Park. What we have here is the ecosystem that is made up of their ancestors.”

Persons said it is impossible to tell what killed the two Sinocalliopteryx, but that shortly after they died, they were enveloped in volcanic ash, which caused the “beautiful” preservation.

“We are very lucky, both these specimens died very shortly after getting their last meal,” Persons said.

“I would argue that one of our Sinocalliopteryx, the one with the raptor, may be the best specimen that has ever been found.”

Persons and his team hope that this discovery leads to more of its kind, and to a better understanding of ancient habitats.