# The 18 Greatest Predators of All Time

> Sharks, big cats and a few hunters that died out millions of years ago share this list. Speed, size and success rate all pull in different directions.

*By YPB Team · Published September 27, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-greatest-predators-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Orca** — score 1000/1000
   The ocean's apex hunter, a pack-hunting dolphin that preys on seals, sharks and even whales.
2. **Jaguar** — score 775/1000
   The Americas' big cat, killing with a bite through the skull.
3. **Tiger** — score 628/1000
   The largest living cat, a solitary stalker of deer and wild boar.
4. **Spinosaurus** — score 610/1000
   A sail-backed Cretaceous theropod that hunted giant fish in North African rivers.
5. **Komodo dragon** — score 553/1000
   The largest living lizard, with a venomous bite that brings down deer.
6. **Great white shark** — score 488/1000
   The largest predatory fish alive, an ambush hunter of seals and sea lions.
7. **Peregrine falcon** — score 488/1000
   The fastest animal on Earth, striking birds mid-air in a dive of over 300 km/h.
8. **Polar bear** — score 413/1000
   The largest land carnivore alive, hunting seals from Arctic sea ice.
9. **Lion** — score 413/1000
   Africa's social big cat, hunting buffalo and zebra in coordinated prides.
10. **African wild dog** — score 413/1000
   Africa's painted wolf, among the most successful hunters of any large predator.
11. **Megalodon** — score 413/1000
   An extinct giant shark up to about 15 metres long that hunted whales.
12. **Tyrannosaurus rex** — score 325/1000
   Late Cretaceous tyrannosaur with the strongest bite of any known land animal.
13. **Gray wolf** — score 325/1000
   A pack hunter that runs down elk and moose across three continents.
14. **Leopard** — score 325/1000
   A stealthy cat that hauls kills heavier than itself up into trees.
15. **Saltwater crocodile** — score 325/1000
   The largest living reptile, an ambush predator that can take water buffalo.
16. **Grizzly bear** — score 325/1000
   North America's brown bear, a predator of elk calves and salmon runs.
17. **Smilodon** — score 222/1000
   The saber-toothed cat of the Ice Age Americas, built to wrestle down big prey.
18. **Harpy eagle** — score 0/1000
   A rainforest eagle with talons big enough to snatch monkeys and sloths.

Tags: nature, animals, dinosaurs, predators