List of large carnivores known to prey on humans

This is a list of large carnivores known to prey on humans. This list does not include animal attacks on humans by domesticated species (dogs), or animals held in zoos, aquaria, circuses, private homes, or other non-natural settings. To prey on means "to seize and eat (something) as prey". Synonyms include stalk, chase, hunt, pursue, and destroy.“Prey (on or upon)”. Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 26 Mar. 2025.

Statistically, attacks on humans by wild carnivores are an extremely rare cause of death—even in regions with high levels of human-wildlife interaction and relatively high absolute numbers of attacks.

Documented carnivore attacks on humans appear to be increasing in frequency for a variety of reasons, including human population growth, animal habitat loss, and declining populations of traditional prey species.

List

Animal common name Animal scientific nameLocation of fatal attacks ArticleAmerican alligatorAlligator mississippiensisUnited StatesAlligator attackAmerican black bear Ursus americanusCanada, United States Bear attack American crocodileCrocodylus acutusCosta Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama Crocodile attack Asian black bear Ursus thibetanus Japan Bear attack Black caiman Melanosuchus niger Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana, Peru Crocodile attack Blue sharkPrionace glaucaAustralia, India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), United States (American Samoa), Shark attack Brown bear Ursus arctosItaly, Canada, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Norway, Romania, Russia, Sweden, United States, Yugoslavia Bear attack Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasAustralia, Brazil, France (Réunion), Tanzania, Iran, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, South Africa, United States, Shark attack Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes Tanzania Chimpanzee attack Copper sharkCarcharhinus brachyurusAustralia, Shark attack Cougar Puma concolorCanada, Chile, United StatesCougar attack Coyote Canis latransCanada, United States Coyote attack Crowned eagleStephanoaetus coronatusSouth Africa Dingo Canis dingo Australia Dingo attack Dusky sharkCarcharhinus obscurusAustralia, Shark attack False gharial Tomistoma schlegelii Indonesia Crocodile attack Golden jackal Canis aureusIndia Goonch catfishBagarius yarrelli India Kali River goonch attacks Great white sharkCarcharodon carchariasAustralia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Tunisia, United States, Shark attackGrey reef sharkISAF Unprovoked Shark Attack Interactive Map. International Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. Retrieved on August 1, 2026.Carcharhinus amblyrhynchosSouth Korea, Shark attack Grey wolf Canis lupusAfghanistan, Canada, China, Estonia, France, India, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, United States Wolf attack Jaguar Panthera oncaBrazilKomodo dragonVaranus komodoensisIndonesia Leopard Panthera pardusIndia, Nepal, South Africa, UgandaLeopard attack Leopard seal Hydrurga leptonyx Antarctica LionPanthera leoTanzania, ZambiaLion attack Morelet's crocodile Crocodylus moreletii Belize, Guatemala, Mexico Crocodile attack Mugger crocodile Crocodylus palustris India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Crocodile attack Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Crocodile attack Oceanic whitetip sharkCarcharhinus longimanusEgypt, United States (Virgin Islands), Shark attack Polar bear Ursus maritimusCanada, Norway, United States Bear attackReticulated pythonMalayopython reticulatusIndonesia Saltwater crocodile Crocodylus porosus Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste Crocodile attack Shortfin mako sharkIsurus oxyrinchusFiji, Shark attack Sloth bear Melursis ursinusIndiaBear attack Southern African rock python Python natalensis South Africa Spectacled caiman Caiman crocodilus Colombia Crocodile attackSpotted hyenaCrocuta crocutaUgandaStriped hyenaHyena hyenaIndia Tiger Panthera tigrisIndia, NepalTiger attack Tiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierAustralia, Bahamas, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, France (New Caledonia, Réunion, Saint-Martin), Indonesia, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Tonga, United Kingdom (British Indian Ocean Territory), United States (American Samoa, Hawaii), Shark attack Wels catfishSilurus glanis Romania Kali River goonch attacks West African crocodile Crocodylus suchus Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali Crocodile attack

See also List of largest land carnivorans List of deadliest animals to humans Largest wild canids List of largest cats Man-eating animal List of dangerous snakes

Explanatory notes

References

Further reading

External links How to Survive a Cheetah Attack