30 Animals That Hunt Humans
By molly atherton
8 months ago
Most of us are fortunate enough to never meet a predator that wants to eat us for breakfast, but unbeknown to many, there are still many encounters that humankind has with animals that remind us we are not actually top of the food chain. From crocodiles and lions, to some less suspecting man-eaters, here are all the animals that you wouldn't want to take on one-on-one!
Leopards
Leopards are actually one of the most deadly wildcats out there and they're also some of the only animals that purposely go out to hunt down humans. Particularly in Asia, leopard attacks have become more common with them breaking down doors or taking down weak homes in order to taste human flesh!
Image Source: Reddit
Unlike most other animals which attack humans for a specific reason, Leopards are supposedly known to attack solely because once they've tasted human they want to eat us again! Scary Stuff!Lions
Lions are one of the many wildcats that have been known to kill and eat humans, and this mostly occurs when the humans are found in the lions' habitat. However, lions don't tend to hunt humans just for the sake of it, in fact a lot of the time, Lions only become deadly to humans when they're suffering from things like old age and diseases.
Image Source: Reddit
And let's be honest, if you're dumb enough to be roaming around a lion's habitat and come across as a danger to them what do you expect to happen!Tigers
Tigers are by far the most dangerous of all wildcats around the world, especially when it comes to attacks on humans! Although, it has to be said that tigers very rarely stray from their own habitat to hunt a human and that most human deaths from tiger attacks come when they're home or local area is being invaded by the human population.
Image Source: Reddit
What do they expect though? It's not like they won't have been taught from a young age that tigers can be incredibly dangerous when they've been provoked.Crocodiles
Crocodiles are known to be the most dangerous natural predator when it comes to the deaths or attacks of humans coming from an animal! Most of these attacks tend to occur in places like Africa and Australia with the Nile crocodile being specifically guilty of attacking humans more than any other species of crocodile.
Image Source: Reddit
Again they don't like humans invading their space, but they will also try and snatch someone or other animals from the side of the river they live in. Keep clear of these killer crocs!Alligators
Alligators, although similar in appearance to crocodiles, are actually much tamer and less likely to attack us humans, and without any need for them to be fearful they will tend to steer clear of any humans. However, all animals get hungry and at some point they will become desperate to secure themselves something to eat.
Image Source: Reddit
As with a number of carnivorous animals that are known to eat humans, if they are to strike against us, they usually try and attack the younger, smaller of us or those that are unable to run away!Asian Black Bears
Asian Black Bears are the first of a number of species of bears you'll see on this list although they are known to be one of the most dangerous species out there. They don't go out with the intention to hunt humans but are not afraid to attack if they feel as though the humans around them are attempting to provoke them or make them feel frightened.
Image Source: Reddit
In fact, without any form of provocation you'd probably be able to spend some time around these black bears ( although I still don't think I'd run that risk).Wolves
Sorry, but surely it wasn't just me that didn't realise wolves could get that big? They are absolutely massive! But typically, they don't grow to such an alarming size and the smaller species are actually not as dangerous as other wildcats. Wolves don't tend to attack humans around populated areas...
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but it has been known to happen if they're welcomed to communities without fear of being hunted. The scary part is that they are unlikely to attack adults, usually catching and eating kids instead!Jaguars
As you can see by the image above, one of the most terrifying things about jaguars is that they are just as efficient hunting on land as they are when they're under the surface of the water. Just like with lions and tigers (and bears) they have extremely sharp teeth and can kill us humans with just one swift bite (usually to our necks).
Image Source: Reddit
The jaguar population is still on a decrease and part of that is down to the fact humans now also hunt them as a way to mitigate there attacks on us. You wouldn't be able to run away from one of these guys.Brown Bears
Yep, there's a whole number of bears that have been known to be dangerous to humans and when you think about it (the size of them) that doesn't come as a surprise. Brown bears here in the US are known to be particularly dangerous as they are always on the lookout for food. Most issues in regards to brown bear attacks in the USA come in relation to people that are camping.
Image Source: Reddit
They might not initially be looking to eat humans but instead the food the humans have brought with them. Not much can stop them though!Komodo Dragons
Although Komodo Dragons aren't particularly known to be the most dangerous of animals in the world, they don't act nicely to things that they regard as prey. Fortunately for most of us, they are only (naturally) located on a few islands in the country of Indonesia so they aren't an animal we'll need to be on the lookout for anytime soon.
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They might not be the largest of animals, but in the same way that a snake is able to take down animals of much larger sizes, a Komodo Dragon can use its venom to ambush almost anything!Sharks (When Provoked)
Sharks are actually not as dangerous as films like Jaws (and Sharknado I suppose) might originally suggest. As of right now, there are more than 500 known species of sharks and only four have ever been found to have attacked humans without initially being provoked by them. In fact most shark attacks are often seen to be out of curiosity more than the fact that they're on the hunt for humans.
Image Source: Reddit
And let's be honest, the shark isn't going to be used to seeing this land walking animal swimming around in their habitat!Dingoes
On first glance dingoes look just like our favourite four legged friends and there's a reason for that. They're actually ancient relatives of what we know as the domesticated dog these days. For this reason, a number of people have been known to confuse the dingo with someone's dog; fortunately they aren't known to be completely aggressive towards humans.
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Like wolves however, they are known to be curious towards children and on a few circumstances there have been examples of them snatching children from the side of the road!Cougars
Cougars are extremely predatory animals and they often stop at nothing in order to gather food for themselves. In fact, they are one of the most consistent attackers of human's across wildlife around the world. This is because they choose to target animals (or humans) that are an easy target for them to catch.
Image Source: Animal Sake
And unfortunately for us we are no match when it comes to matching the speed or agility that a Cougar possesses and, we have a lot of meat on our body's that a cougar can consume over a period of time.Polar Bears
Fortunately for the majority of us, we will never be in a situation where a polar bear is going to be anywhere near us and we won't have to worry about being attacked by these large white creatures. Polar bears are often portrayed to be cuddly creatures on tv and with toys, although the reality is they're far from this.
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They don't tend to attack humans without being provoked and typically they only do so if their habitat is under threat or they're looking after their kids. You know you'd protect yours in the same way if you could.Piranhas
If you ever find yourself visiting Brazil, and particularly the Amazon river then I'd have to recommend that you don't consider dipping your toes in the water or going for a swim; you probably know that already though! There have been numerous instances of people having fallen in the river, or entering it purposely only for them to then have the flesh ripped off their skin by the tiny but razor-sharp gnashers of a piranha.
Image Source: Reddit
This must be a terrible way to die (not that any way is particularly nice) and there are usually signs around piranha filled areas.Hyenas
Most of my knowledge of hyenas solely came from The Lion King, which surprisingly gave quite an accurate description of the smaller creature. They do spend most of their time hunting in packs and, if they are to stumble across a human then they aren't afraid to attack them. You can actually tell when a hyena is more dangerous than others as spotted and striped hyenas are more hostile.
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They particularly like to keep their eyes on weaker humans like children and can actually tell when an adult is ill and less able to defend themselves!Jackals
Jackals are another animal native to Africa that have been known to have fatal interactions with human beings! Although the pup above looks like it would be unable to harm a fly, they actually share a number of traits that are usually associated with the hyenas and are a distant relative to our domestic dogs!
Image Source: Reddit
They like to hunt in packs, and even though they work as part of a group to find food they still tend to hunt the weaker of a species, so in terms of humans we're talking about the children or the elderly.Coyote
The Coyote is basically the hyena of North America and they tend to attack in a very similar way to their African cousins. Fortunately most Coyote attacks in the US have been easily thwarted as they aren't particularly the strongest of animals, with a number of incidents occurring where people have been able to fight off the coyotes.
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This doesn't mean they've stopped trying to catch and hunt humans with a number of incidents occurring each year, most notably in the Nova Scotia area of Canada.African Crowned Eagle
Within the savannah and other wild areas of Africa it isn't just animals on the ground that you need to be wary of but also predators who like to attack from above! The African Crowned Eagle is one of the most dangerous birds of all time and their huge and powerful talons are actually able to pick up and kill humans without them having to even put in too much effort.
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They don't tend to attack for no reason however and often only attack when they spot people that are close to their nests!American Black Bears
Yet another bear that can be dangerous towards humans are the American Black Bears, although attacks are much less common when it comes to this species in comparison to the rest! In fact studies have shown that black bear attacks can almost solely be narrowed down to singular male bears that have been separated from the rest of their group.
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Even if not, a male black bear will do anything in its power to ensure that itself the female bear and their cubs can eat to keep themselves going. They aren't too different from us!Pythons
Snakes are often people's biggest fear and when you learn about all the things they can actually do to you that comes as no surprise. There are a number of different species of wild python that are known to attack humans and they can actually kill us in a variety of ways.
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Despite their small body some pythons have actually been known to be able to swallow entire human whole! Although typically they tend to wrap their body's around their prey and constrict leading people to suffocate instead.Catfish
Catfish actually come in a whole range of sizes (some even larger than the one pictured above!) and if I'm honest they're probably more famous for being an amazing tasting fish than they are for their human hunting abilities. However, there have been instances of catfish attacking humans as they swim around them or in some situations when fishermen are trying to capture them.
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You might not know this but catfish actually have razor sharp teeth just like the Piranha (we'll get on to them later) so they are a fisherman's nightmare!Hippos
You might have been taught that Hippos don't actually eat meat and for the most part, that is absolutely correct! However, this doesn't mean they like to tolerate humans invading their personal space and this has often led to them deciding too attack humans. They don't hunt us in order to gather food but more as a way to ensure that their habitat is safe or at least feels safe for them!
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In fact, hippos actually kill more humans than any other animal in the entirety of the continent of Africa in the water and on land.Chimpanzees
Most of the animals in the group known as Apes don't actually eat meat, it's only us and our distant relatives, the Chimps that do so. You've probably seen videos of chimps being very friendly with humans and that's because for the most part, they actually enjoy spending time around us. Especially ones that are trained specifically in zoos and those brought up by humans in nature reserves.
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However, in the wild they can become very defensive and on occasion have been known to hunt and attack humans that get too close.Dogs
It's hard to believe that our favourite four legged friends can even feature on this list, but the domestic dog is actually one of the most dangerous animals in terms of fatal attacks across the whole of the earth. Typically, with the exception of dogs that aren't trained properly and left to become rabid, most dog attacks come as a result of their loyalty to their owners and they try to protect them.
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In other situations an owner might become too comfortable and play with them to the point they get aggressive. Although it's common, I don't think you really have anything to worry about.Wild Hogs
When you think of wild hogs the first thing that comes to mind probably has nothing to do with the fact that they might be able to cause some severe damage to you. But, despite them being comfortable without eating meat it doesn't mean they can't hunt if they really have too.
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In fact, some ancient texts discuss how hogs used to enter villages in order to snatch and eat the children! Mostly, however, you won't have to worry about the local hogs trying to catch you as it's usually a last resort.Rats
I'm obviously not talking about the rats that you might keep in a cage at home, but wild rats that roam the streets; they are particularly dangerous in areas stricken with poverty. You will have learned at school that rats carry diseases (some of which wiped out huge percentages of the population)...
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... and when they need to they can group together in huge packs to tackle prey much larger than them. Mostly however, they'll only consider attacking babies or other adults already near death.Mosquitoes
It's hard to believe that an animal so small can have such a large impact on the population of the earth, would you believe me if I said that these tiny little flying insects actually kill nearly 1,000,000 people EVERY SINGLE YEAR? However, despite them hunting for humans as they're blood sucking insects, they aren't actually killing us themselves.
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It's all the diseases that they are known to carry which causes all the problems, I'm talking about diseases like Malaria and and yellow fever which can be devastating to the human body.The Black Mamba Snake
Evidently the person who has decided to keep these Black Mamba's in there own home is crazy as they are one of the most dangerous species of snakes around! Unlike Pythons which tend to just suffocate you, the black mamba has a bite which will essentially paralyse you as a result of the insane amount of toxins it can release!
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They are known to attack humans they feel threatened by, so yeah, maybe don't try to catch one and whatever you do, don't think about trying to keep a black mamba snake as a pet!Box Jellyfish
From a young age we are all taught to avoid Jellyfish at all costs, this is because their stings can be known to be extremely fatal to us. Although they don't necessarily hunt humans, they will push towards you if they feel threatened by your presence in their home environment. They do so by injecting their stingers in to your body and then releasing a load of poison in to your body, usually deeming you helpless to any form of attack.
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If you see one of these in the water your best bet would be to swim away asap, as you can see from the image... they can be pretty nasty...Humans
You might not have been expecting this one, but at the end of the day, it's tragically true - when it comes to hunting down, harming or even killing human beings, there's one predator at the top of the food chain - and that's other human beings. Humans are also amongst the most dangerous animals in the world in terms of how we wage war.
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Not only this, it's how we treat people and animals and what we're doing to the planet - we probably don't think about it enough but we are top of the list!Blue-Ringed Octopus
Okay, so this particular octopus isn't going to hunt you down - it's tiny, and even if it did decide to, it wouldn't be much of a threat if you didn't touch it - but it's amongst one of the most dangerous animals to humans when it comes to physical contact.
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This tiny octopus with those striking blue rings carries enough venom in its small body to kill 26 adult human beings in only a few minutes.Inland Taipan
The relatively good news is that the Inland Taipan is relatively reclusive in that it's not going to try and seek out a human and bring attention to itself. However, if you decide to give it attention it definitely doesn't want, it might come after you - which isn't what you want from perhaps the most venomous snake in the world!
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Needless to say, it's a huge threat - and extremely dangerous.Saw-Scaled Viper
Another snake you definitely don't want to tangle with is the saw-scaled viper. These are native to South and Southwest Asia, so unless you're traveling there or living there anytime soon, you're safe (we think...). Their typical prey is mammals, birds and even other snakes, amongst other things...
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... but that doesn't mean they're not averse to giving a dangerous and deadly bite to a human.Leopard Seal
A lot of people underestimate seals because they can be so adorable - and sure, they're very cute, but have you ever seen one with its mouth open? You need to spot those sharp teeth to know what it might be capable of. A leopard seal is at the top of the food chain when it comes to its normal prey, which is penguins and fish.
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Although they don't eat humans, they have been known to drag humans underwater - where you can easily drown.Bullet Ant
The bullet ant (thankfully) doesn't go out of its way to hunt down humans (but boy isn't that a scary thought...) What they can cause, however, is immeasurable pain that will last a good few hours. If a bullet ant stings you, you won't die, but you'll feel like you're dying, with an increased heart rate, sweats, shakes and pain that goes through your entire body.
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And that's just if one of these ants bites you!Tse Tse Fly
This one doesn't have enough brain power to actively go after humans - but it's one whose main purpose is just to go around biting things, meaning it's a parasite that isn't fussy - and it's definitely going to bite a human that comes across its path. The tse tse fly is responsible for passing on sleeping sickness, which can be fatal in some cases.
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If you're in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa, your chances increase.Puffer Fish
Puffer fish don't set out to hurt or kill you - but that doesn't mean they won't. Their defence mechanism is their poison, which they're more than happy to use on humans. Not only that, but they pose a fatal threat even after they're dead - because if you eat one that has been prepared incorrectly, it could kill you.
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They may not hunt humans, but they see us as a threat - which means they're happy to poison us if need be!Cassowary
This huge bird justifies anyone having ornithophobia - because although a lot of birds won't hurt you, this one most definitely can. The cassowary has been known for using its huge body and enormous, sharp beak to not only maim fully grown humans, but kill them, too.
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It's the most dangerous bird in the world, for this reason. It's also the third largest! Basically don't go near it.Eastern Brown Snake
The Eastern Brown Snake is a particular threat to the people of Australia (who have a lot to deal with when it comes to snakes and spiders, let's be honest). Though it doesn't look like much, this is one deadly snake - and we mean deadly, because if it decides to come after you, it could kill you within only hours.
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It's actually responsible for around 50% of snake bite deaths in Australia every year!Cape Buffalo
Cape Buffalo are among many animals who act aggressively to protect their young. Not only that, because they're targeted by big game hunters, they've been known to hunt and kill human beings who threaten them. Cape Buffalo have been known to go straight for the biggest rival predators to protect their young.
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Not only that, they have a 'mob-like' mentality, making them dangerous in a group, too.Stonefish
Stonefish don't seek out humans, but it's much worse than that - because all they need to do is lie in wait, do nothing, and you could be in some pretty serious trouble as a human in their territory. Stonefish are known for being deeply camouflaged in the ocean so that it's so easy to step on one...
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...and then get their highly dangerous and painful venom in the bottom of your foot!Cone Snails
Cone snails are another innocent-looking creature that can cause a whole lot damage to human beings. Though their usual prey is luckily only fish, they've been known to have dangerous or even fatal run ins with humans who either decide to pick them up, or get on the wrong side of them.
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Cone snails have a tooth like a harpoon that gets into the body of their victims to distribute their poison, which then causes paralysis and death.Funnel-Web Spider
Another thing that people in Australia have to contend with, while it's true that spiders never purposefully hunt down humans to kill, there's no doubt that when there's a likelihood of having a dangerous spider in your home, it's going to target you as a threat.
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The Sydney Funnel-Web Spider is one of the most deadly spiders in the world, and can kill you within 15 minutes.Tapeworms
A tapeworm is a parasite that looks out for a human to share rent with for a while - its purpose is to use you as a host to get inside your intestines and infect you. If you happen to have a tapeworm that gets into your body, you can expect a range of symptoms including feeling seriously sick.
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You can also have bad headaches, or even worse symptoms like seizures. Some cases may be fatal without treatment.Rhino
The thing with these huge and dangerous animals is that they don't particularly target humans because they don't really know what humans look like. The fact is, they have very poor eyesight, which means anything and everything is a threat or prey to them if they feel cornered.
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If attacking, they will use their bodies to knock you down, their teeth to attack and - needless to say - those pointed horns!Elephants
Elephants are among the most intelligent in the wild, and they're among the most popular of animals in terms of humans interacting with them or wanting to spot these beautiful creatures on safari. For this reason, a lot of people forget that elephants are actually a huge threat to humans...
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they're one of the most dangerous animals in the world for a human to come into contact with, because of their size.Deer
Deer are more likely to run away from a human than hunt them, but the statistics don't lie - deer can be responsible for a huge number of human deaths, whether intended or not. One of the most common reasons is a vehicle collision with a deer which can result in death, but not only that - if one does feel threatened, or you have a stag being territorial, you have those antlers to contend with.
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Especially if you have a dog and the deer have young foals, they might become possessive around you and want to protect their young.Africanized Honey Bee
The honey bee doesn't want to hunt down humans, sting and kill them - it just wants to do its job and visit flowers - but the reality is, bees are very dangerous to humans, and this particular type doesn't care if you have an allergy or not. Bees can often feel threatened by humans if a person accidentally gets in their way, and the Africanized honey bee can kill you after more than one sting from its kind.
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These bees are known to be some of the most dangerous in the world - and just look how big their nests are!Deathstalker Scorpion
If there's one animal you don't want after you, it has to be something named a 'deathstalker', which just about sums it up. The good news? A full grown adult won't usually die from a sting by this scorpion. The bad news? Its sting may kill a young person, or a vulnerable old person - or anyone with a health condition that makes them a little bit weaker.