man-eater
Quick Summary
A "man-eater" is an animal that has developed a habit of preying on humans. This term is most commonly applied to large predatory mammals like lions and tigers, as well as sharks, particularly the great white shark.1
Historically, some animals have gained notoriety for their man-eating behavior. For instance, the Tsavo man-eating lions in Kenya reportedly killed dozens of people in 1898, and the Champawat Tigress in India was responsible for over 400 deaths in the early 1900s. Sharks, such as the great white, have also been implicated in fatal attacks on humans, famously inspiring the novel and film Jaws.2
It is important to distinguish man-eating animals from sexual cannibalism, where an animal consumes its mate after or during courtship, a behavior observed in some invertebrates like spiders and octopuses.3
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