Two of history's most bloodthirsty lions might have eaten dozens of people simply because of a toothache, Discover reports.
The so-called "Tsavo two" were a pair of mane-less male lions that killed railroad workers in Kenya over the course of nine months in 1898. The lions were eventually shot by Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson, who reported the pair had eaten as many as 135 people. Isotopic analysis in 2009 estimates that number was more like 35 people — nevertheless, since lions don't usually eat people, the question has lingered for over a century: What drove the Tsavo two to seek so many humans as prey?
Looking at one of the animal's skulls, researchers initially guessed that a tooth-abscess made it hard for the lion to eat its natural prey, so it started going after the delicious, papery skin of people. A new study, published Wednesday in Scientific Reports, doesn't quite agree. Instead, creating molds of the Tsavo two's teeth, researchers found that the man-eating felines' pearly whites were more similar to zoo lions' teeth than wild lions' teeth.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That's pretty telling: Zoo lions eat softer foods, while wild lions have to deal with delivering kill-bites to thick-skinned animals like zebras. "Dental injuries ... may have induced shifts in feeding onto softer foods," the researchers wrote. People, with their thin skin, made a satisfying snack for the hungry Tsavo pair.
The researchers concluded:
[I]t wasn't desperation that drove the Tsavo lions to nosh on humans, but perhaps convenience. The railroad workers, most of whom came from lion-free South Asia and were unfamiliar with local ways to avoid being eaten, were simply easier for a dentally-challenged lion to catch and kill than faster, tougher-skinned buffalo, antelope, and zebra. [Discover]
There you have it: Never underestimate the power of a toothache.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
