Microraptor's World
Mammal
Maotherium
Mark Norell may not be wowed by this specimen, which he compares to
"a flat rat on a New York street." But even this seasoned
paleontologist agrees that the fossil's details are exceptional.
Perhaps most striking is the aura-like fringe of fur surrounding the
skeleton. Small mammals are as ancient as dinosaurs. In fact, until
the demise of traditional (non-avian) dinosaurs at the end of the
Cretaceous, most mammals remained small, hunting insects, scavenging
nests, and living in the shadow of dominant reptiles.