Lions Attack Humans When the Full Moon Wanes | Tanzania Lion Attacks | Evolution of Fear | LiveScience
A sign commemorates 40 victims killed by a man-eating lion in the Rufiji District of Tanzania in 2005.
CREDIT: Jonathan Packer
The full moon is supposed to be the time when werewolves roam, but a new study finds that there's more to fear from large, nocturnal predators in the days after the moon is at its brightest.
African lions are more likely to attack and kill humans in the days right after the full moon, according to the study, published today (July 20) in the journal PloS ONE. The danger comes because lions struggle to catch prey — which see the predators coming — during the bright nights when the moon is full. In the 10 days after the full moon, however, the waning moon doesn't rise until after sunset. Anyone still outside when darkness falls is easy picking for the extra-hungry cats.
"The number of attacks on people in the evening hours skyrockets for the first five days after the full moon," study researcher Craig Packer of the University of Minnesota
told LiveScience. "It was quite striking." [Top 10 Deadliest Animals] [...]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.
Comments
Post a Comment