When humans were hunted as prey

Bones with leopard bites show humans didn’t always top the food chain

Imagine seeing the eyes of this leopard stalking you from the tall grass. Fossil evidence suggests such big cats hunted our human ancestors nearly 2 million years ago.

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Nearly 2 million years ago, a leopard in Africa sank its teeth into the face of an early human. This bite etched tiny tooth marks into the unlucky person’s jawbone. That bone now speaks to a chilling early chapter in our history: when humans were prey.