#8 KOMODO DRAGON
These intelligent, quick, and venomous animals don’t need to hunt humans, but they will if
they have to. They are the world’s largest lizard at up to 10ft long and 150 pounds,
known to be able to eat up 80% of their body weight in one meal. Fans of a leisurely meal,
Komodo dragons usually kill their prey outright but have a backup plan in a venomous bite,
which eventually kills their victim, requiring no extra effort on their part. Other times,
their meal is buried human remains that they’ve dug up with their enormous claws, forcing locals
to pile heavy rocks high upon their graves. In 2017, Lon Lee Alle, a 50-year-old
Singaporean tourist, was mauled by a Komodo dragon while exploring a secluded area in
Indonesia. Dismissing local guidelines, he forwent hiring a guide to save a little money and ventured
off alone. Getting in close to take pictures, one, believed to be about 8ft long, lunged at him,
tearing his leg. Bloodied and shocked, horrified onlookers dragged him to safety. Apparently,
all it costs is a little blood money to truly see them in their natural state.
#7 POLAR BEARS There are multiple reported incidents of polar
bear attacks that prove that they see humans as nothing more than prey, but those attacks may only
be the tip of the (rapidly melting) iceberg for a much larger issue yet to come. A healthy male
polar bear can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, smell prey from a mile away and kill in one fell
swoop. Surprisingly, it’s not them you need to worry about, but their ravenous, usually younger
brothers. When conditions are at their worst, it's reported that these animals “seem to flip a
switch” and they “turn into a different beast”. Out of desperation, even yearling bears have
wandered into villages to hunt and kill humans. With melting ice caps and continuously reduced
hunting grounds, the rate of these attacks could go on the rise. Between 2010 and 2014,
when sea ice was at a record low, polar bear attacks were at a record high.
Following this trend, in 2020, Johan Jacobus Kootte from the Netherlands was killed in
Svalbard, Norway by a polar bear that had wandered into his campsite in the search for food.
The campsite, in which Koote worked seasonally, sits about 800 miles from the North Pole. At 4 AM,
he was ripped from his tent. While surviving the initial attack, he later succumbed to his gruesome
injuries. 6 fellow campers were hospitalized with shock but were otherwise uninjured. All residents
and tourists are advised to carry a weapon on hand outside urban areas due to polar bear activity,
but is that really a match for the world’s largest carnivore at its most desperate?
#6 RETICULATED PYTHON Amongst the list of animals who do
prey on humans is the reticulated python. Capable of growing over 25ft, it is the longest snake in
the world and has made a name for itself as a “man-eater”. You can find them across South East
Asia in grasslands and rainforests, but as strong swimmers, they have even been found far out at sea
and on seemingly remote islands. The reticulated python is an ambush predator and can swallow prey
up to 100% of its own bodyweight, doubling in size. For the brave, it is considered an
extreme and exotic pet, but human fatalities by this snake haven’t only occurred in the wild.
These pythons are constrictors that wrap their muscular bodies around their victims,
asphyxiating them within minutes. Opening their jaws wide, they’re then able to swallow their meal
whole. As was the case in the most recent attack, in Indonesia in June of 2018, when Wa Tiba
failed to return home after leaving to tend to her cornfield. Two days after her disappearance,
100 villagers set out in search of her, only to find her, intact, inside the belly of a
23 ft long python. It’s an almost identical story to a year earlier when an Indonesian
man was killed and swallowed whole while out harvesting palm oil. Video documentation exists,
viewer discretion is advised. #5 LIONS
For the King of the Jungle, humans might be fellow apex predators, but that definitely doesn’t mean
that you’re off their menu. Lions are considered “man-eaters”, a classification of animals that
have been shown to hunt, kill, and actively incorporate human flesh into their diet. This
means they aren’t out just to kill, but to feast. In some cases, lions attack people as a last
resort, driven by starvation, old age, and/or illness. In other cases,
they’re simply looking for another meal; but in the case of Katherine Chappelle, it was a lioness
protecting her cubs. It was 2015 when the 29- year-old American was mauled by a lion while on
a safari tour in Johannesburg, South Africa. After working on big-time shows such as Game of Thrones,
she was using her vacation as a volunteer trip to work with local South African wildlife.
Rolling down her window to get a better picture, she was bitten not once, but twice as the large
cat stuck its head in the car. There was nothing anyone could do as her guide was injured himself
in his efforts to save her. She is one of at least 200 fatalities a year reported in Africa alone.
#4 TIGERS Tigers are the biggest
living cat species and have claimed the largest number of human lives from big cat attacks.
On their hind legs, they can reach up to 13 ft—higher than if Dwayne the rock Johnson stood
on Michael Jordan’s shoulders. Tigers won’t blink twice to change their eating habits to
become man-eaters if they’re injured, if food is scarce, or to defend their territory. Want some
more reasons why a tiger would attack someone? If someone got too close or surprised them,
or they were feeding, or their cubs are close by, or even if a chase was incited by a passing
bicyclist. The moral of the story? If they want to attack, they will, captive or not.
In the US, most captive tigers, a number in the thousands,
are kept in unaccredited and poorly-run breeding facilities and zoos, or as private, exotic pets.
Even large facilities like the San Francisco Zoo have a dark past when it comes to tiger attacks.
In 2006, their resident tiger Tatiana bit and ripped a zookeeper’s arm through the bars during
feeding. The zookeeper suffered chronic damage to his arm, but in light of the damage caused a
year later, it pales in comparison. In December 2007, the same tiger escaped from her enclosure,
killing 17-year-old Carlos Eduardo Sousa Jr. and severely injuring 2 others. Evidence showed that
some visitors had been taunting the tigress and that she simply called their bluff.
#3 PIRANHAS Will a piranha actively hunt a human?
No. Can they inflict significant harm to one? Yes, and they have, but they’re not likely to.
Piranhas are scavengers and hardly hunt their prey, preferring to feed on easier targets like
dying animals, small fish, or seeds and nuts. So, what calls for their deadly reputation?
Behind the sensationalism of Hollywood, no overcompensating had to be made about the strength
of their bite. At 72 pounds per square inch they can boast of having the strongest bite of
all fish, relative to size. As the cockroaches or vultures of the riverbed, piranhas are survivors,
so, when the environment gets harsh and food is scarce, having a bite of human or,
even another piranha, is not off the table. In 2016, Brazil was struck with a series of
piranha attacks in popular tourist areas. Many holiday goers and their families were warned
to avoid the water completely as splashing can attract them. Daniele Cardosa would have loved
to have heard that warning before wading in the water with her 5-year-old daughter.
Mrs. Cardosa was bitten savagely on her toe and watched as a piranha fell from her foot as she
jolted it up in pain. Blood was everywhere, but with quick treatment, she managed to
keep the toe. Cardosa’s case was one of over 40 cases seen that year in Brazil alone. Local
authorities deny it’s a problem area, but you can be sure that Mrs. Cardosa won’t ever be back.
#2 CROCODILES Anything that
fits in the jaw of these ferocious hunters can and might just become their prey. Crocodile
attacks are actually far more common than shark attacks and their bite strength significantly
outpowers that of both fellow list rivals’ tigers and lions, at over 3 times the force.
Land or water, these opportunistic hunters will snatch at any victim that moves;
over 1,000 times a year, that victim is a human. Studies of some crocodiles in Africa show that
these cold-blooded creatures are far more likely to attack when the weather is warm.
It’s recommended to stay 3 meters from the water, and as easy targets, children should
head even more warning. In March 2021 an unnamed eight-year-old boy was attacked and killed while
swimming in a river in Borneo. Although his father stood by watching, the boy was swallowed whole;
his father could do nothing but try and chase the beast. Some people may believe they can scare off
a croc by splashing; you cannot, so please keep your hands and feet by your side at all times.
#1 GREAT WHITE SHARK If humans were hunted like any
old prey by great white sharks, they would have a far more fearsome reputation than they do now.
Their massive frame, which can grow up to 20ft in length and weigh in at over 6,600 lbs.,
rightfully inspires fear, but it’s their refined hunting techniques that truly
demonstrate their incredible strength and prowess. Stalking their prey from the depths,
they attack in a sudden and violent upward charge launching themselves, and their prey,
8 to 10 ft in the air. Thankfully, they’re usually kind enough to share their waters,
but on occasion, about 80 times a year, unprovoked attacks do occur-- and with devastating effect.
Hannah Mighall was only 13 years old in 2009 when she learned first-hand, or first foot,
the dangers of becoming their prey. Sitting astride her surfboard, she briefly noticed
a dark shadow underneath her, before a 17 ft. shark engorged her leg and tossed her in the
air. She surfaced with the shark still holding fast to her leg, only let go as her nearby cousin
battered its face. Not done yet, the shark pulled her under again as it went for her board.
The two managed to save themselves by catching a wave back to shore; followed intently by the
assailant. Mighall still has her leg, but scars and reduced mobility will burden her for life.
There is a clear difference in the manner in which a great white shark attacks their prey vs
how they attack humans. It’s theorized that sharks bite humans out of curiosity rather than hunger;
it’s just too bad that their mouths act as sensory organs that require a little taste for
identification. Partnered with continuously overcrowded beaches and hunting grounds,
we are bound to continue to swim into each other. Thanks for watching! Would you rather face a
starving polar bear with just a knife, or wrestle a reticulated python with your bare hands?
Let me know in the comments below!