{"id":42082,"date":"2024-09-21T20:31:43","date_gmt":"2024-09-21T18:31:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/73af1ce0-361b-4c3b-a53a-7bbc2ee89af7"},"modified":"2024-09-21T21:27:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-21T19:27:35","slug":"which-big-cat-has-the-strongest-bite-and-just-how-deadly-is-that-bite","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/which-big-cat-has-the-strongest-bite-and-just-how-deadly-is-that-bite\/","title":{"rendered":"Which big cat has the strongest bite? And just how deadly is that bite?"},"content":{"rendered":"

BBC Wildlife<\/em> section editor Sarah McPherson answers your wild question. <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Saturday, 21 September 2024 at 18:31 PM<\/p>

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The jaguar<\/a> has the strongest bite of any big cat<\/a> relative to its size. Research<\/a> by Adam Hartstone-Rose and colleagues at the University of South Carolina, who compared the bite forces of nine different cat species, reveals that a jaguar’s bite force is only three-quarters as strong as a tiger’s bite force.<\/p>
Deadliest apex predators in the wild: which ruthless mammals are the best killing machines?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
However, given that jaguars are considerably smaller (the body mass of the individual in the study was only half that of the tiger), relatively speaking their bite is stronger.<\/p>
A jaguar’s powerful jaw muscles give it a huge bite force concentrated through impressive canine teeth. \u00a9 Carol Farneti Foster\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\u201cIf you had to choose, you\u2019d want to be bitten by a jaguar, not a lion<\/a> or a tiger<\/a>. But pound for pound, jaguars pack a stronger punch,\u201d says Adam.<\/p>
\u201cThe strength of the jaguar\u2019s bite is due to the arrangement of its jaw muscles, which, relative to weight, are slightly stronger than those of other cats. In addition \u2013 also relative to weight \u2013 its jaws are slightly shorter, which increases the leverage for biting.\u201d<\/p>
These two modifications, though minor, combine to give the jaguar the strongest relative bite force. Indeed, a jaguar can bite straight through the skull of its prey, and pierce the thick skin of a caiman with ease.<\/p>
$\"Jaguar$
A jaguar’s powerful jaws give it a huge bite force, easily capable of penetrating a caiman’s thick skin. \u00a9 Nick Dale\/Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure> <\/body><\/html>\n
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