Tsavo Man-Eaters

Question 1

What region do the Tsavo Man-Eaters originate from?

Answer 1

Tsavo region of Kenya

Question 2

What subspecies do the Tsavo Man-Eaters belong to?

Answer 2

Panthera leo nubica

Question 3

What hunting behavior is characteristic of the Tsavo subspecies?

Answer 3

More aggressive hunting behaviors

Question 4

How many workers were the Tsavo Man-Eaters responsible for killing in 1898?

Answer 4

Dozens

Question 5

What is the museum ID of the first lion killed?

Answer 5

FMNH 23970

Question 6

What is the museum ID of the second lion killed?

Answer 6

FMNH 23969

Question 7

What is the estimated age of the Tsavo Man-Eaters at the time of death?

Answer 7

8–10 years old

Question 8

How long was the first lion from nose to tail?

Answer 8

9 ft 8 in (2.95 m)

Question 9

During what months did the attacks by the Tsavo Man-Eaters occur?

Answer 9

March – December 1898

Question 10

Who killed the Tsavo Man-Eaters?

Answer 10

Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson

Question 11

On what date was the first lion killed?

Answer 11

December 9, 1898

Question 12

On what date was the second lion killed?

Answer 12

December 29, 1898

Question 13

How many victims did Patterson claim were killed by the lions?

Answer 13

135

Question 14

What is the modern estimate of the number of victims killed?

Answer 14

Between 28–72

Question 15

What unusual behavior did the Tsavo Man-Eaters exhibit while hunting?

Answer 15

Hunted as a team

Question 16

At what time of day did the lions typically attack?

Answer 16

At night

Question 17

What did the lions overcome during their attacks?

Answer 17

Defensive barriers around the tents created by the humans

Question 18

What was a possible reason for the man-eating behavior of the lions related to health?

Answer 18

Injury/dental disease

Question 19

What severe health issue did one of the lions have?

Answer 19

Severe tooth infection

Question 20

What environmental factor contributed to the lions’ man-eating behavior?

Answer 20

Loss of natural prey due to rinderpest outbreak

Question 21

What human activity might have influenced the lions’ hunting behavior?

Answer 21

The slave trade may have played a role as the lions may have become desensitised to human corpses when scavenging along trade routes

Question 22

What happened to the lion skins after 25 years?

Answer 22

Sold to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago in 1924

Question 23

What was done with the lions’ remains after they were sold to the museum?

Answer 23

Reconstructed and placed on permanent display

Question 24

What scientific method was used in 2009 to estimate the lions’ human consumption?

Answer 24

Isotope studies

Question 25

What did the 2009 isotope studies estimate the lions consumed?

Answer 25

The equivalent of 10.5 and 24.2 humans, possibly up to 72

Question 26

What did the 2024 DNA analysis reveal about the lions' diet?

Answer 26

Included zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and other wild animals

Question 27

Were humans likely a primary or supplemental food source for the lions?

Answer 27

Supplemental food source

Question 28

What were the workers who were eaten or abandoned their posts in fear working on?

Answer 28

Building the Kenya-Ugandan Railway