List of large carnivores known to prey on humans

This is a list of large carnivores known to prey on humans.

Tiger by Adolphe Philippe Millot (Nouveau Larousse illustré, c. 1900)

The order Carnivora consists of numerous mammal species specialized in eating flesh. 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," and according to Merriam-Webster, synonyms include stalk, chase, hunt, pursue, and destroy.^[1]

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^[2]—the topic remains one of great fascination^[3] to contemporary humans unused to or uncomfortable with being vulnerable to the larger food web.^[4]

Documented carnivore attacks on humans do appear to be increasing in frequency^[5] for a variety of reasons including human population growth, animal habitat loss,^[3] and declining populations of traditional prey species.^[6]

List

This article contains dynamic lists that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Animal common name	Animal scientific name	Location of fatal attacks (continent)	Location of fatal attacks (country, region)	Article
American black bear[7][8]	Ursus americanus	North America	Canada,[9] United States[9]	Bear attack
Brown bear[10][11][12]	Ursus arctos	Asia, Europe, North America	Italy, Canada,[9] China,[9] Japan,[9] Kazakhstan,[9] Kyrgyzstan,[9] Mongolia,[9] Norway,[9] Romania,[9] Russia,[9] Sweden,[9] United States,[9] Yugoslavia[9]	Bear attack
Cougar[13][14]	Puma concolor	North America, South America	Canada,[9] Chile,[9] United States[9]	Cougar attack
Coyote[15][a]	Canis latrans	North America	Canada,[16] United States[16]	Coyote attack
Dingo[17][b]	Canis dingo	Australia	Australia	Dingo attack
Golden jackal[18]	Canis aureus	Asia	India[18]
Grey wolf[17][c]	Canis lupus	Asia, Europe, North America	Afghanistan,[9] Canada,[9] China,[9] Estonia,[9] France,[9] India,[9] Iran,[9] Italy,[9] Latvia,[9] Lithuania,[9] Poland,[9] Russia,[9] Slovakia,[9] Spain,[9] United States[9]	Wolf attack
Jaguar[19][6]	Panthera onca	Central America, South America	Brazil[20]
Leopard[13][21]	Panthera pardus	Africa, Asia[21]	India,[21] Nepal,[9] South Africa,[9] Uganda[9]	Leopard attack
Leopard seal[22][d]	Hydrurga leptonyx	Antarctica
Lion[13][21]	Panthera leo	Africa, Asia	Tanzania,[21] Zambia[13]	Lion attack
Polar bear[23]	Ursus maritimus		Canada,[9] Norway,[9] United States[9]	Bear attack
Sloth bear[9]	Melursis ursinus	Asia	India[9]	Bear attack
Spotted hyena[13]	Crocuta crocuta	Africa	Uganda[9]
Striped hyena[9]	Hyena hyena	Asia	India[9]
Tiger[13][21]	Panthera tigris	Asia	India,[21] Nepal[21]	Tiger 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

1. As of 2023, there have been two documented fatalities from coyotes.^[16]
2. Dingo attacks are rare and when they occur, they generally are on children. For example, it is believed by some that a dingo was responsible for the death of Azaria Chamberlain, although this has been a controversial and heavily debated topic in Australia since her death in 1980.
3. Per Löe-Röskaft, most wolf fatalities are due to rabies transmission.
4. Only one human fatality caused by a leopard seal has been documented to date.