The crocodile existed between 3.4 million and 3 million years ago in the same Ethiopian region where Lucy once lived. "It's a near certainty this crocodile would have hunted Lucy's species. Whether a particular crocodile tried to grab Lucy, we'll never know, but it would have seen Lucy's kind and thought: 'Dinner.'" "I was just blown away because it had this really weird combination of character states," Prof Brochu said. Lucy's hunter appeared to be the sole crocodile species inhabiting Hadar's waters during this period.

Source: Ethiopian News March 13, 2026 12:33 UTC