Why did the Tsavo lions become man-eaters?
A classical explanation has it that big cats turn to man-eating when a crippling infirmity or injury prevents them from tackling their normal fleet-footed or powerful prey. Denied a normal livelihood, such animals may often become marauders or man-eaters. Abundant anecdotal evidence from tigers in India supports this interpretation. Patterson and Neiburger examined evidence for this hypothesis in the skulls and mandibles of the Tsavo and Mfuwe man-eaters. All three of the cats had sustained serious and chronic injuries to their teeth and jaws. The first Tsavo man-eater had a broken canine that was well polished by wear, so that the break pre-dated the lion’s death by one or more years. Adjacent teeth had shifted their positions, and the upper canine had swung into a dysfunctional position (see right). In addition, a root-tip abscess on the broken canine would have rendered any pressure on this tooth excruciatingly painful. Without the ability to administer a “killing bite,” the cat’s choice to pursue human prey is easily explained. The second Tsavo lion had a slab fracture on its carnassial (shearing) tooth, whereas the Mfuwe man-eater had a badly fractured jaw that likely resulted from blunt trauma, such as a kick from a zebra or buffalo. Findings of Patterson and Neiburger on Field Museum’s man-eating lions have initiated a more general survey of tooth breakage and associated pathologies among lions in museum collections around the world. Publications: Patterson, B.D., and E.J. Neiburger. 2000. Morphological corollaries of man-eating in African lions: the smoking gum. 81st Annual Meeting, American Society of Mammalogists, Durham NH Neiburger, E.J., and B.D. Patterson. 2000. Man eating lions…a dental link. Journal of the American Association of Forensic Dentists 24(7-9):1-3 Neiburger, E.J., and B.D. Patterson. 2000. The man-eaters with bad teeth. New York State Dental Journal 66(10): 26-29; cover. Teuscher, G. W. 2000. Lions go berserk and children cry--from dental pain. Journal of Dentistry for Children 67:240. Patterson, B.D., and E.J. Neiburger. 2001. Lion with a sore tooth. Nature Australia 26(12): 12. Man-Eating Lions Needed Dentist: an Abc News.com story <<back |
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