Man Eater

The Man Eater is a plant monster that spawns in the Underground Jungle. It is attached to the ground and attacks you by trying to "eat" you. The Man Eater's "neck" will not deal damage to the player and it can only be killed by attacking its "head" or destroying the block it's tethered to, however they will not drop loot if you destroy the block. It is also possible for two Man Eaters to spawn on the same block. It is now possible for Man Eaters to attack you through walls.

This monster is almost identical to the Snatcher, of which the Man Eater appears to be a stronger relative. Snatchers appear on Jungle biomes on the surface.

Man Eaters are known to drop vines (used to craft the Ivy Whip ). It is rumored that they drop the Ivy Whip item themselves as a rare drop, although this is unconfirmed. It has also been said to drop the Robot Hat.

Be careful if you decide to attack it head on, the Man Eater will shorten its "neck" to lure you to come closer to attack and then it will extend it to deal damage towards you. They are quite dangerous since they have 130 HP and deal 50 damage. The best way to deal with it is using a ranged weapon. However, as of patch 1.05, Man Eaters are no longer affected by terrain, so getting a good firing lane could be problematic. This can be countered with weapons such as the Vilethorn, so be sure to keep one handy when traversing the Underground Jungle.

The Man Eater seems to have a limited range when trying to attack a player, but if the player attacks the Man Eater, it can grow in length. If you move more than 150 ft away from a stretched man eater, it will disappear until you come within 150 ft again. However, when forced into a small path, the Man Eater does not seem to have a limit on how long it can become. (Confirmation?)

The Flamelash or Magic Missile can be effective weapons against a Man Eater, by simply stepping out of its range and following its head with the projectile.

Another good tactic to fighting a Man Eater is to strike the head to stretch the neck then rush in to break the block it's tethered to before it can retract it's head. If you already have the Ivy Whip, you can position yourself to float in between blocks right outside its reach and attack it at your leisure (although hornets often cause a problem).

Alternatively, if you have a flail weapon, stand on a block at an angle above them and aim slightly above the man eater's head.

Update Info
1.0.5 - Are no longer affected by terrain.