A remarkable dinosaur discovery from around 120 million years ago is reshaping how scientists know ancient food chains and predator behavior. Unearthed in what is currently northwestern China, the remains of a strange feathered creature may finally describe a long-unsolved “murder mystery” hidden in the fossil record.
Researchers working at a site rich with ancient bird bones found something unusual: several of the remains were clustered together in compact formations resembling the regurgitated pellets generated by modern owls. For years, scientists suspected a predator was accountable for these accumulations, but the identity of the hunter remained unknown until now.
