National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Photo: Eagle Ancestors Hunted Early Humans, Skull Study Suggests


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Among prey remains recovered from beneath African crowned eagle nests, the damaged skull of a Diana monkey rests in the foreground. The puncture wound near the nasal cavity was likely inflicted by an eagle.

An analysis of more than 600 modern-day monkey bones reveals that eagles can kill and eat prey more than twice their body weight, suggesting that the raptors' ancestors might have eaten early humans.

Photograph by Jo McCulty, Ohio State University