Ancient CT Scan Reveals the Last Meal That Got This Egyptian Crocodile Killed

CT scans uncovered a fish hook that likely killed a sacred crocodile thousands of years ago.

This ancient crocodile never finished its last meal. More than 2,000 years after it died, researchers can still make out a small fish inside its stomach—its body intact, still caught on a bronze hook. That detail, uncovered through modern imaging, offers the clearest clue yet to how this reptile met its end.

The 2.2-meter crocodile, now held at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and cataloged as 2005.335, has become an unlikely source of insight. New scanning techniques have revealed what it ate, how it was captured by ancient Egyptians, and details about its eventual mummification.

A Killer on the Hook

When researchers at the University of Manchester placed the mummy into a CT scanner, they expected to see the usual: bones, soft tissue, perhaps a few gastroliths (the stones crocodiles swallow to help digest their meals). Instead, they spotted something extraordinary: the aforementioned hooked fish.

The scan suggested a tight chain of events. Gastroliths higher in the digestive tract had not yet reached the stomach. The fish’s skeleton was pristine, so the crocodile had died before digestion began. This timing pointed to deliberate capture.

Ancient Egyptians often hunted crocodiles to sacrifice them to Sobek, the crocodile god associated with fertility and the life-giving Nile. In this case, scientists believe the animal swallowed the baited fish, was hauled in soon after, and prepared almost immediately for mummification.

The technique aligns with historical accounts. Herodotus described hooks baited with pork to lure crocodiles. Later classical authors mentioned nets and spears. But the hook found in 2005.335 is physical proof of a strategy once thought mostly anecdotal.

“Whereas earlier studies favoured invasive techniques such as unwrapping and autopsy, 3D radiography provides the ability to see inside without damaging these important and fascinating artefacts,” said lead author Dr. Lidija McKnight of the University of Manchester.

What a Croc Mummy Can Teach Us

Animal mummification in ancient Egypt was more than a ceremonial spectacle. It was almost industry. Tens of thousands of crocodiles were preserved for temples and votive offerings. Some were raised in captivity; others were trapped in the wild when needed. Archaeological finds—from hatcheries in the Fayum to tombs holding crocodiles up to six meters long—show how closely ancient Egyptians lived alongside this river predator.

Crocodiles symbolized danger and death (obviously), but also protection and regeneration. Their presence promised healthy inundations and fertile fields. Egyptians admired their strength, feared their speed, and honored them in life and death.

The recent study, published in Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, pushes that understanding further. Non-invasive radiography revealed remarkably preserved tissues: skin, musculature, even the trachea. The crocodile’s stomach stones reveal a crocodile still actively feeding and regulating buoyancy. Its preserved organs show that embalmers left the internal anatomy intact, a practice that contrasts with the removal of viscera in human mummification.

“We took the process a step further by replicating the hook in its original material, bronze,” Dr. McKnight noted. “Despite the passing of several millennia between the production of the ancient fish hook and the modern replica, the casting process remains remarkably similar.”

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The research team first produced a plastic model based on CT data, then cast it in bronze—mirroring, as closely as possible, the methods ancient metalworkers used, including hardened clay, molten metal, and a charcoal fire.

Why This Discovery Matters

Around the world, new imaging technologies have transformed how archaeologists investigate the past. Radiography allows researchers to protect fragile remains while uncovering details once accessible only through destructive dissection. CT scans now reveal embalming resins inside human mummies; digital modeling reconstructs the faces of ancient rulers; 3D printing revives lost tools and ornaments.

For animal mummies like 2005.335, the implications show how humans interacted with dangerous wildlife, worshipped it, manipulated it, and ultimately incorporated it into their ritual lives.

Dr. McKnight summarized that broader mission: “Our work revealed a great amount of information, both about the life of the crocodile and the post-mortem treatment of its remains… Our work provides a unique opportunity to connect visitors to the story of this animal.”