Top 7 Animals With The Strongest Bite Power In The World

The average bite force of a human is 162 pounds per squared inch(PSI). But how about the bite force on an animal which some of them use as a deadly weapon to hunt for prey?

The bite force of an animal is highly dependent on its jaw muscle, jawbones, and the surface area of its teeth. Yet again, the size of the animal or its prey will also influence the power of the bite.

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This is because the power of the muscle will depend on how much it is stretched out as the size of the prey that is being bitten will affect the bite force according to the University of Brown.

The common measurement of bite force will be based on a pound per squared inch or psi. More precisely, it is the force (pound) for every squared inch that reflects the pressure given out for every pound in weight.

Let us see the list of the top 7 animals with some of the most brutal bite forces in the world.

7. Gorilla

Gorilla has an average bite force of around 1,300 psi. Its bite force is very helpful to chew those hard branches and chewy tree bark. Despite its bite force being strong, most gorillas are usually vegetarian in nature.

They used their strong jaws to peel off layers of the tree and in the case of trees like Milicia, the jaws are used to separate the outside layer (being removed) from the sweet bark on the inside.

6. Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

More specifically, Bull Shark, Sharks have an average bite force of 1,350 psi. The unique traits of a bull shark are that it has more teeth compared to other species of sharks up to 350 teeth at one time. The mouth of the shark works similarly to a conveyor belt.

When the old teeth located close to the side of the jaw fall off, the line of teeth from the back will move forward to replace the fallen tooth. This means that the Bull Shark has in total up to 50,000 teeth in its lifetime. So it is not surprising that shark teeth are a common finding for this fossilized animal.

5. Jaguar

Jaguar is the cat with the strongest bite force at an average of 1,500 psi. This powerful bite force is capable of cutting down the armor shield of crocodiles and the hard shells of tortoises and turtles.

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As opportunistic predators, jaguars will hunt down any prey they can take down. With a strong bite force to the back of the neck, they are capable of beating an animal four times its size even an alligator.

4. Hippopotamus

A hippo has an average bite force of around 1,800 psi. The animals that live in sub-Saharan Africa use their strong jaw as protection against other predators as well as against their own kind.

A hippo has one of the biggest mouths and teeth of any land mammal out there with the teeth commonly growing as long as 71 cm long and kept on growing. The biggest teeth ever recorded for a hippo are 122cm long!

3. American Alligators

Alligators or more specifically the American alligators have a strong bite force of 2,125 psi. Its strong grip will ensure that the prey will not easily escape and quickly dies from its quick ambush attack. But it is still not as strong as the bite of a saltwater crocodile.

Nevertheless, this opportunistic predator will wait for the easiest prey to come and will munch down on anything like snakes, fishes, turtles, mammals, amphibians, and even insects.

Researchers from the University of State Florida found that the bite force of these alligators is capable of lifting a small truck.

2. Saltwater Crocodiles

This particular species of crocodile has an average bite force of 3,700 psi. The animal which can commonly be found in India, Southeast Asia, and Australia will bite down its prey before spinning around in the water to kill its prey.

The saltwater crocodile or also known as 'saltie' in Australia is the biggest living reptile in the world. An adult male can grow up to 7 meters long with a weight of 1,000 kg while the female is slightly smaller.

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Similar to the American alligators, the saltwater crocodiles will also give a huge surprise to their prey before ending their misery viciously. They are always referred to as living fossils and a huge part of them remained unchanged for 100 million years.

1. Nile Crocodile

Sitting at the top of this list will be the Nile crocodile which can be found in sub-Saharan Africa that has a whopping bite force of 5,000 psi. Its huge bite force has allowed the crocodile to bite down and crunch the bones of its prey before being swallowed whole.

Despite the Nile crocodile being slightly smaller than the saltwater crocodile, they are still at the top of the chart for having the strongest bite power in the world. It is well known for its aggression and territorial making others think twice before invading their compound.

But regardless of that, its diet mostly comprises fish.

Source:

• Science Focus

• ThoughtCo

Also read: Do Sharks Like The Human Blood?