{"id":9878,"date":"2022-03-15T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sciencefocus.com\/?p=2404"},"modified":"2022-03-15T05:23:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T04:23:33","slug":"top-10-which-animals-have-the-strongest-bite","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcsciencefocus\/rss_feed\/top-10-which-animals-have-the-strongest-bite\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10: Which animals have the strongest bite?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Holly Spanner\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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The bite force of an animal is largely dependent on jaw muscles, as well as jawbone and surface area of the teeth, but it also depends on the size of their lunch. Because the force in a muscle depends on how much it\u2019s stretched, an animal\u2019s bite force depends on the size of what it\u2019s biting<\/a>, a study from Brown University finds.<\/p>\n

Bite force is measured in pounds per square inch, psi. More accurately, it is pound force<\/em> per square inch, as it\u2019s the pressure from a one pound force, applied to an area of one square inch (6.5 square centimeters). In other words, the pressure that the animal exerts on its food, or unlucky prey.<\/p>\n

Researchers have used computer models based on multiple X-ray images generated by a computerised tomography (CT) scanner of shark skulls, to estimate the bite force of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias<\/em>)<\/a>. Dependant on the size of the shark, the team, led by Steve Wroe<\/a>, estimated a bite force of nearly 4,000psi, putting the Great White firmly in second position for the strongest bite force. However, as this has not yet been directly measured from a living specimen<\/a>, we\u2019ve not included it in our round-up of the animals with the strongest bite.<\/p>\n

10. Hyena<\/h2>\n
\""Animals\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Hyena \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,100psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Sub-Saharan Africa<\/p>\n

Hyena bite force is used for:<\/strong> Grinding down bones to get at the tasty marrow<\/p>\n

Hyenas have conical shaped premolars, specialised teeth for breaking and crushing bone. Along with their strong jaws and broad 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.<\/p>\n

9. Grizzly bear<\/h2>\n
\""Grizzly\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Grizzly bear \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,160psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Canada and USA<\/p>\n

Grizzly bear bite force is used for:<\/strong> Ripping into animal flesh, breaking the bones of large prey<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a reason that hikers are told to avoid grizzlies when at all possible. As well as their massive size and razor-sharp claws, they have a bite that\u2019s strong enough to crush a bowling ball\u2026 or a human skull, without flinching.<\/p>\n

8. Polar bear<\/h2>\n
\""Polar\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Polar bear \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,200psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Arctic Circle<\/p>\n

Polar bear bite force is used for:<\/strong> Chomping through the thick blubber of Arctic animals<\/p>\n

Among the bears (Ursidae), polar bears have the strongest bite. They\u2019re also the only bear species to be considered as marine mammals. Their large canine teeth can grow up to 5cm, which they use for their Arctic prey, mainly ringed and bearded seals. But polar bears aren\u2019t picky, they\u2019ll also scavenge carcasses, or munch on other mammals, vegetation, birds and eggs.<\/p>\n

7. Gorilla<\/h2>\n
\""Gorilla\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Gorilla \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,300psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Forests of central Africa<\/p>\n

Gorilla bite force is used for:<\/strong> Chewing hard branches and tearing bark off trees<\/p>\n

Despite their powerful bite, gorillas are largely vegetarian. They use their powerful jaws to strip bark, first from the tree, then for trees like the Milicia<\/em>, to separate the outer bark (which is discarded) from the sweet inner bark<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. Bull shark<\/h2>\n
\""Bull\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Bull shark \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,350psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Warm coastal areas, rivers and lakes worldwide<\/p>\n

Bull shark bite force is used for:<\/strong> A widely varied diet, from oysters and turtles to baby hippos and other sharks<\/p>\n

A bull shark has more teeth than other species of shark, up to 350 teeth at any one time. A shark\u2019s mouth works like a conveyor belt: as an old tooth, 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 up to a whopping 50,000 teeth in a lifetime! No wonder shark teeth are so common in the fossil record.<\/p>\n

5. Jaguar<\/h2>\n
\""Jaguar\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Jaguar \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,500psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Southwestern USA, Central America, South America<\/p>\n

Jaguar bite force is used for:<\/strong> Cutting through the armoured skin of a crocodile, shells of turtles and tortoises, and crushing bone<\/p>\n

As opportunistic hunters, jaguars will prey on just about anything. With one powerful bite to the back of the skull, they can take down animals up to four times their own weight.<\/p>\n

4. Hippopotamus<\/h2>\n
\""Hippopotamus\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Hippopotamus \u00a9 iStock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Bite force:<\/strong> 1,800psi<\/p>\n

Distribution:<\/strong> Sub-Saharan Africa<\/p>\n

Hippo bite force used for:<\/strong> Defence against apex predators, or attacking\/defending against other hippos<\/p>\n