Were there mammals large enough to hunt even small dinosaurs?

The idea that Mesozoic mammals were just dinosaur snacks has been debunked.

In 2012 in the volcanic formation of Yixian, China, two skeletons in excellent condition, dating to about 125 million years ago, were discovered, one belonging to the small ceratopsidae dinosaur Psittacosaurus and one to the mammal Repenomamus.

The psittacosaurus, which was estimated to be a 10–15 kg subadult, is bitten at the shoulder blades as the repenomamus tries to immobilize it with its legs.

Based on the length of the femur, it was inferred that the mammal was three times smaller than the predated psittacosaurus. According to the team of paleontologists who analyzed the discovery, a lava flow produced by intense volcanic activity in the area would have caught predator and prey during the fight, preserving them to the present day.

It is unlikely to be a case of saprophagy since the dinosaur bones show no bite and gnaw marks and the two animals appear to be in a fighting stance.

Some scholars such as paleontologist Andrea Cau doubt the authenticity of the finding, but if it is confirmed, we can say that some mammals attacked dinosaurs much larger than themselves and not just the pups.