It is possible to set a maximum size for core dump files via limits.conf / ulimit. If this limit is 0, it effectively disables core dumps. Call ulimit -a from a

It is possible to set a maximum size for core dump files via limits.conf / ulimit. If this limit is 0, it effectively disables core dumps. Call ulimit -a from a shell to see the current maximum size. The linked article also explains how to change where core dumps are saved. Maybe your system is configured to save them in a specific folder (I have no clue what macOS' default settings for core dumps are!).