Ancient Horned Crocodile Found—Ate Early Humans?

[Judi Lynn]

National Geographic Daily News
Ancient Horned Crocodile Found—Ate Early Humans?

Christine Dell'Amore
National Geographic News
Published February 25, 2010

In a primeval version of the horror flick Lake Placid, a 19-foot-long (5.8-meter-long) horned crocodile may have leaped from the water to snack on early humans, a new fossil find suggests.

The newly described, 1.84-million-year-old species has been dubbed Crocodylus anthropophagus, which means "eater of humans" in Latin.

The croc's fossils were discovered in 2007 in Tanzania's fossil-rich Olduvai Gorge, a site that was also home to early humans—or hominids—such as the tiny species Homo habilis and Australopithecus boisei.

Crocodile bite marks had previously been found on hominid bones from the gorge. Based on the latest find, scientists suspect that the crocodile not only ate our ancestors, but that it was their biggest predator at the time.

More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100225-new-horned-crocodile-early-humans/

[aquart]

1. Tasty, tiny, furless. A gourmet treat.

I can just hear those teeth go CRUNCH!

[Uben]

2. Without salt?

Eeewwwwwww!