This is a list of large carnivores known to prey on humans.
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.
Statistically, attacks on humans by wild carnivores are an extremely rare cause of deathâÂÂeven in regions with high levels of human-wildlife interaction and relatively high absolute numbers of attacksâÂÂthe topic remains one of great fascination to contemporary humans unused to or uncomfortable with being vulnerable to the larger food web.
Documented carnivore attacks on humans do 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.