Behaviour and biology
The crocodile Crocodylus anthropophagus lived alongside small hominids such as Paranthropus (Australopithecus) boisei. © Gunnar Ries Amphibol, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
Behaviour
This crocodile lived alongside the early humans Homo habilis and Paranthropus (Australopithecus) boisei.
Fossil bones of at least 2 hominid individuals bear tooth marks characteristic of crocodile feeding. In both examples, each hominid lost its left foot in the encounter.
Biology
Crocodylus anthropophagus probably had a similar biology to living African crocodiles.
Crocodile embryos do not have sex chromosomes, and unlike humans, sex is not determined genetically. Sex is determined by temperature:
- males are produced at around 31.6°C
- females are produced at slightly lower and higher temperatures
