Who Has The Strongest Bite In The Animal Kingdom

The seize with teeth force of an animal is largely dependent on jaw muscles, too as jawbone and surface surface area of the teeth, just it also depends on the size of their lunch. Because the forcefulness in a muscle depends on how much it'south stretched, an animal'south seize with teeth strength depends on the size of what information technology'south biting, a study from Brown Academy finds.

Bite force is measured in pounds per square inch, psi. More accurately, it is pound force per foursquare inch, as it's the pressure from a 1 pound force, applied to an expanse of one foursquare inch (half-dozen.5 square centimeters). In other words, the pressure that the animal exerts on its food, or unlucky prey.

Researchers have used reckoner models based on multiple X-ray images generated by a computerised tomography (CT) scanner of shark skulls, to judge the seize with teeth strength of a not bad white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). Dependant on the size of the shark, the squad, led past Steve Wroe, estimated a bite strength of most 4,000psi, putting the Slap-up White firmly in second position for the strongest bite strength. Notwithstanding, as this has not yet been directly measured from a living specimen, we've non included information technology in our round-up of the animals with the strongest bite.

10. Hyena

Animals with the strongest bite - Hyena © iStock — Hyena © iStock

Seize with teeth strength: 1,100psi

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa

Hyena bite strength is used for: Grinding down bones to get at the tasty marrow

Hyenas have conical shaped premolars, specialised teeth for breaking and crushing os. Along with their strong jaws and wide molars, these doglike carnivorous mammals ensure no part of the carcass goes to waste. Thanks to highly concentrated hydrochloric acid in their stomach, they can even digest bone.

9. Grizzly bear

Grizzly bear © iStock — Grizzly conduct © iStock

Bite strength: 1,160psi

Distribution: Canada and United states of america

Grizzly acquit seize with teeth force is used for: Ripping into animal flesh, breaking the basic of large prey

There'due south a reason that hikers are told to avoid grizzlies when at all possible. Also as their massive size and razor-sharp claws, they have a bite that's strong enough to beat out a bowling ball… or a human skull, without flinching.

8. Polar deport

Polar bear © iStock — Polar carry © iStock

Bite strength: 1,200psi

Distribution: Arctic Circle

Polar comport bite force is used for: Chomping through the thick blubber of Chill animals

Among the bears (Ursidae), polar bears have the strongest seize with teeth. They're also the only bear species to exist considered as marine mammals. Their large canine teeth can grow upward to 5cm, which they use for their Arctic prey, mainly ringed and bearded seals. Merely polar bears aren't picky, they'll also scavenge carcasses, or munch on other mammals, vegetation, birds and eggs.

7. Gorilla

Seize with teeth force: 1,300psi

Distribution: Forests of key Africa

Gorilla bite force is used for: Chewing hard branches and tearing bawl off trees

Despite their powerful bite, gorillas are largely vegetarian. They employ their powerful jaws to strip bark, commencement from the tree, and then for trees like the Milicia, to split the outer bark (which is discarded) from the sweet inner bark.

6. Balderdash shark

Seize with teeth force: i,350psi

Distribution: Warm coastal areas, rivers and lakes worldwide

Bull shark bite force is used for: A widely varied nutrition, from oysters and turtles to baby hippos and other sharks

A bull shark has more teeth than other species of shark, up to 350 teeth at whatsoever one time. A shark's oral cavity works like a conveyor belt: every bit an erstwhile molar, close to the edge of the jaw, falls out, a tooth from the row behind moves forward to replace it. This means they can grow upwards to a whopping 50,000 teeth in a lifetime! No wonder shark teeth are so common in the fossil record.

5. Jaguar

Bite force: i,500psi

Distribution: Southwestern United states, Central America, South America

Jaguar seize with teeth force is used for: Cutting through the armoured skin of a crocodile, shells of turtles and tortoises, and crushing bone

As opportunistic hunters, jaguars will prey on but about anything. With i powerful bite to the back of the skull, they tin take downward animals up to 4 times their own weight.

4. Hippopotamus

Seize with teeth force: ane,800psi

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa

Hippo bite force used for: Defence force against noon predators, or attacking/defending confronting other hippos

With the largest oral fissure and the largest teeth of any land mammal, a hippo's canine teeth typically measure 71cm, and are continually growing. The largest e'er recorded canine tooth for a hippo comes in at a whopping 122cm!

iii. American alligator

Bite force: ii,125psi

Distribution: Southern United states

American alligator seize with teeth force used for: Ambushing prey, whatsoever prey

Every bit opportunistic predators, alligators volition lie in wait for the easiest prey. From snakes, fish and turtles to mammals and amphibians, even insects, they're not fussy. As for strength? Researchers from Florida Land University establish that an alligator'south bite could lift a pocket-sized truck.

2. Saltwater crocodile

Bite force: 3,700psi

Distribution: India, Southeast Asia, Commonwealth of australia

Saltwater crocodile bite force used for: Gripping onto prey while they utilise a decease roll

The saltwater crocodile, or 'saltie' as it's affectionately known in Australia, is the globe'southward largest (living) reptile. Males tin abound up to 7m in length and counterbalance in at effectually ane,000kg, with the females being slightly smaller. Lurking along the water'south edge, they ambush their prey in a violent lunge. They're often referred to equally 'living fossils' and accept remained largely unchanged in 100 meg years.

1. Nile crocodile

Bite force: 5,000psi

Distribution: Sub-Saharan Africa

Nile crocodile bite strength used for: Crushing their prey before swallowing it, often whole

Fifty-fifty though Nile crocodiles are smaller than saltwater crocodiles, they come up in at the summit of the charts for the most powerful bite. Aggressive and extremely territorial, they put their powerful seize with teeth to good employ. Nile crocodiles will take down any casualty that dares to venture nigh the h2o, although their diet is mainly fish.

What is the seize with teeth strength of a homo?

Although we have a bite force stronger than some of our other primate relatives, the average man bite force is 162psi. That means the Nile crocodile, at the top of our list, has a bite force of over 30 times more powerful than a human! The world record for the strongest human seize with teeth was fix by Richard Hoffman, with a bite force more than half-dozen times more powerful than the average human being. It was measured during a inquiry exam using a gnathodynamometer at the Higher of Dentistry, University of Florida back in 1986.

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