However, the Senegal site is lacking in this species, so chimps may have needed to adopt a new hunting strategy to catch a different prey - bushbaby.

BBC: Chimps sharpened the spears with their teeth

Polar bears, for example, are becoming endangered, as the disappearance of ice obliges them to swim farther and farther to catch seals, their main prey.

ECONOMIST: A meltdown tinged with acid

In some cases, the British government actually commissioned seamen to commit acts of piracy, but with one catch: They were charged to prey only upon Spaniards, British rivals on the high seas and in the New World, and turn over a large portion of the stolen loot to the government.

NPR: Pirates 101: Fact and Fiction on the High Seas

Tommy Horne, who runs Birds of Prey Rescue and has been trying to catch the owl, said it was most likely hunting for food rather than targeting the men.

BBC: Efforts to capture large owl in Inverness

Two specimens, both containing flying prey, suggested that Sinocalliopteryx had a penchant for aerial quarry and also had the tools to catch them - but how?

BBC: Small dinosaur 'hunted like cat'