The average force of a human bite is calculated at 162 pounds per square inch (PSI), but this is nothing compared to some animals with the strongest bite force.
The animal bite force is a complicated topic, and regardless of whether you choose to quantify it in PSI (pounds per square inch), pounds of force, or newtons of force, you are likely to come across a wide range of values that disagree with one another.
In addition, it is difficult to conduct biting force tests, which are rarely a high priority for scientists studying animals.
If so, how can we determine which species have the most powerful bites in the world?
We can obtain a reliable estimate of what an animal’s peak biting force could be thanks to the testing that certain scientists have conducted and the advanced computer modeling that has been done.
Several factors, including the size of the animal’s meal, jaw muscles, jawbone, and the amount of surface area covered by its teeth, all contribute to the force with which an animal may bite.
According to a study conducted by Brown University, the amount of force within a muscle depends on the degree to which it is stretched.
As a result, the amount of force contained within an animal’s bite is also dependent on the size of what it is biting.
Psi, or pounds per square inch, is the unit of measurement for bite force. To be more precise, it is referred to as pounds of force per square inch (lbf/in2) because it represents the pressure that results from one pound of force on an area of one square inch (6.5 square centimeters).
In other words, the amount of force the animal applies to its meal.
Does Bite Force Matter?
The animals with the strongest bite force are advantaged in the wild.
If you are a predator, having the ability to kill, incapacitate, or capture and hold prey by applying huge pressure when biting into it can be an advantage.
Cracking up bones to access the marrow within them is also possible.
Herbivores can chew through tough foods such as bamboo, crunch through nuts and seeds, and help defend themselves against carnivores when they have stronger biting forces.
The strength of their jaws helps these creatures become effective hunters, which is why many of the animals with the strongest bite force are considered apex predators.
How Is Bite Force Calculated or Tested?
The most straightforward method for measuring the force of a bite is to utilize a device such as a strain gauge or a bite meter.
The animal bites the device, which measures the force. These scales are analogous to individuals’ electronic scales for measuring their weight.
You can’t just be pleasant to the animal and ask it to bite as hard as it can on some metal plate scale, nor is it easy to capture and handle many of the strongest creatures.
Nor can you ask the animal to bite as hard as it can. For example, doing this with sharks would be an extremely challenging endeavor.
Computer modeling and preliminary approximations can be useful when attempting to calculate an animal’s bite power.
Looking at an animal’s capabilities can help determine how hard a bite will be.
It’s like how you power to scale your favorite superheroes by using their feats, but it’s much more accurate.
For instance, if you know that a certain animal can fracture the femur bone of an antelope, you can calculate the force required to achieve the same result.
This provides an accurate baseline minimum of the animal’s possible biting force, which can be used for comparison purposes.
Because of our comprehensive knowledge and extensive study of animal anatomy, we can employ computer modeling to assist in calculating biting force.
If we understand the correlation between skull size and shape and rough estimates of the force jaw muscles can exert, we can model and run simulations to determine a fairly accurate estimate of an animal’s bite force.
Furthermore, we need to know how much force jaw muscles can exert.
What Factors Determine Bite Force?
Several factors determine which animals have the strongest bite force.
The most important contributing factors are skull shape, bone density, plasticity, jaw muscle strength, nutrition, and tooth replacement.
The shape of the skull and jaw is essential when determining the amount of biting power.
The force is dispersed over a more controllable surface area when the jaw is smaller.
Sloped or inclined skulls provide superior leverage and better anchor points for the larger jaw muscles.
If you want to use significant force with any portion of your body, you must have robust enough bones to withstand the strain without breaking.
Various creatures have jaws that can shatter or break bones, but when they do so, their own bones do not break.
There are many different explanations for this, but the primary reason is that their jaw and skull bones are extremely dense, and their skulls have suitable angles for applying that force.
Both the skull and the jawbones have a significant capacity for plasticity. Scientists long believed that a T. rex could fracture its skull with a bite force that was likely as powerful as it had been.
Many animals, like the T. rex, have shock absorbers built into their skulls as flexible joints.
These joints allow the skull and jaws to flex, preventing the force from rebounding on itself and causing injury.
The muscles in your jaw are responsible for your ability to open and close your mouth. While our jaw muscles did not evolve to be particularly robust, those of many other species did.
Having jaw and neck muscles that are both larger and stronger contributes to having a stronger bite power.
Along the path of evolution, every species has adapted and changed depending on available food sources.
Hunting is made safer and more effective by adaptations such as the ability to crush the skull of one’s victim like a jaguar does.
If they could only consume fruit or tender shoots, they would have a much more limited food selection than if they could chew through tough roots and shoots like gorillas.
These are some examples of animals that have naturally developed stronger jaws to accommodate their food types.
The ability to replace teeth is essential for animals with the strongest bite force that gnaws through bone, although this is not always required.
Some sharks and crocodiles lose hundreds or even thousands of teeth over the course of their lifetimes.
Suppose you want to be able to bite as forcefully as some of these animals do. In that case, you either need teeth that are extraordinarily durable or the ability to replace them in a short amount of time.
19 Animals with the Strongest Bite Force
1. Polar Bear (1,200 psi)
Polar bears, the grizzly bears, are larger than their cousins and reside in the Arctic region. Their diet consists mostly of large prey species.
These bears may weigh more than 1,200 pounds (544.31 kg), and their webbed paws allow them to excel as swimmers. They live in semi-aquatic environments.
Polar bears are among the animals with the strongest bite force. Their powerful bite helps them penetrate the thick skin, feathers, and fat of the prey they encounter in their natural habitat.
This allows them to hunt successfully. Most of their diet comprises seals, whale carcasses, and whatever else they can get their teeth into.
2. Gorilla (1,300 psi)
The thickness of the gorilla’s neck is mostly determined by its bite force, even though gorillas are overly muscular.
Despite having extremely long and scary canine teeth, the largest ape species is a fairly quiet herbivore.
This is because they are critically endangered. Read this article to understand the gorilla’s overall physical prowess.
Gorillas consume plants, although most of their food consists of tougher plant parts like roots, bamboo shoots, and other similar items.
They do not have to rely solely on young shoots and fruit because the force of their bite enables them to ground up and devour the many types of food.
3. Jaguar (1,500 psi)
Jaguars can deliver the most powerful bite of any of the great cats. They don’t bring their prey to the ground as other big cats do; instead, they strike by seizing their prey’s skull in their mouth and crushing it.
Their teeth and jaws are strong enough to break through the thick hides of caimans and turtle shells, and they can crush the heads of capybaras and other animals.
Jaguars thrive in the jungles of both North and South America. They normally grow to have a body length of five to six feet (1.52 m to 1.82 m), a tail length of three feet (0.91 m), and a body weight of approximately 250 pounds (113.39 kg).
4. Hippopotamus (1,800 psi)
Hippos are one of the animals with the strongest bite force still alive.
They use the enormous canines and incisors on their upper and lower jaws to defend their young from potential threats and to fight with one another.
Hippos are the most lethal mammal in Africa, accounting for more human deaths than any other species each year. Hippos kill more people than any other animal.
Hippos’ aggressive behavior is not limited to people. Even though they drink from the same bodies of water, hippos despise crocodiles, and they are capable of breaking the backbone of a ten-foot-long (3.04-meter) crocodile.
5. American Alligator (2,150 psi)
The bite force of an alligator is commensurate with its size as the largest living reptile in North America.
They can snap their jaws shut extremely quickly, allowing them to crush or bite their prey in half.
The extremely powerful jaw muscles responsible for closing the mouth contribute to the incredible strength of their jaws.
You can use your hands to keep their mouths closed since the muscles that allow them to open their mouths are laughably underdeveloped compared to other muscles in their bodies.
Fish, wading birds, turtles, and smaller animals comprise most of an alligator’s diet.
6. Great White Shark (4,000 psi)
The Great White Shark is a must-mention on the list of animals with the strongest bite force for no other reason than the fact that its bite force was estimated rather than measured.
In a 2008 study, X-rays and computer modeling assessed the biting force a white shark would have.
The study showed that a white shark with a length of 21 feet (6.40 meters) could exert a bite force of approximately 4,000 pounds per square inch, making it one of the living animals with the strongest bite force.
White sharks can be found in many parts of the world, including the Pacific Ocean, the northeastern United States, Australia, and South Africa.
They are the top apex predators, with only larger white sharks and killer whales being their natural enemies.
7. Saltwater Crocodile (3,700 psi)
As the largest members of the crocodile family, saltwater crocodiles make the list of animals with the strongest bite force and can weigh up to one thousand pounds.
They also record having the most powerful bite of any animal in the world.
Saltwater crocodiles are among the most dangerous animals on the planet; each year, they are responsible for the deaths of between 3,000 and 5,000 people.
This category requires a 17-foot croc with a 3,700 PSI bite measured by a top scientist.
By extrapolating these findings, the same researcher predicted that prehistoric crocodiles 40 feet in length would have had a bite force of 23,000 pounds per square inch (PSI).
We should count ourselves fortunate that these monstrosities became extinct millions of years ago. We have enough problems with the more manageable version that is still there today.
The raw power these animals exhibit is so astounding that it is nerve-racking to contemplate how scientists must have compared powerful previous extinct animals to their capabilities.
The biting force of a Tyrannosaurus rex is around 8,000 pounds per square inch (PSI), whereas the bite force of a megalodon is roughly 40,000 PSI using the same methods that determined the great white’s present strength.
Regardless of how powerful an individual animal is, most animals on this planet face lethal dangers.
Strength is not the only quality that might contribute to risk.
8. Lion (650 psi)
Lions have a higher biting force than mastiff dogs despite the ferocious reputation that they have earned and the iconic position that they have achieved.
Because they hunt in packs, pinning their prey to the ground and suffocating it, they have never required a biting force as powerful as that of tigers and jaguars.
9. Nile Crocodile (3,000 – 5,000 psi)
A well-known biologist researched the Nile crocodile as well as other species that are closely related to it.
Using sensitive instruments, he determined the average amount of force that each member of the Order Crocodilia exerts with their bite.
The study’s limitation is that the Nile crocodile specimen measured was only about 8 feet long.
Considering that the typical length of a Nile crocodile is 16 feet, it stands to reason that their actual bite strength should measure at or above 3,000 PSI. This value is higher than that of the American alligator regarding bite power.
The Nile crocodile, which can weigh up to a whopping 500 pounds and is native to the areas around the Nile River’s banks, is considered the most dangerous crocodile species in the world.
They are solely accountable for more assaults on people than any other species of crocodile in the world. The primary reason is that they are fiercely territorial and hostile.
10. Bull Shark (478 psi)
Bull sharks have the most powerful bite of other shark species when considering the overall size.
They can grow to a maximum length of nine feet and an average weight of about 800 pounds, significantly less than white sharks.
The maximum pressure that a white shark of a similar size might generate is around 360 PSI.
11. Black Piranha (72 psi)
You’re probably wondering why we included a black piranha here, given its meager biting force of only 72 PSI.
Black piranhas can reach a maximum length of around one meter and an average maximum weight of about eight pounds (3.62 kg).
Their biting force of 72 PSI is enormous compared to their body weight, and researchers measured it from a fish that weighed only about two and a half pounds (1.13 kg).
12. Tasmanian Devil (200 psi)
When considering animal size, Tasmanian devils have the most powerful biting force of any mammal and are among the animals with the strongest bite force.
They weigh only 19.07 kilograms (20 pounds), but when they bite, they can produce 553 newtons of force. Their bite’s Bite Force Quotient (BFQ) is greater than any other mammal.
13. Orcas (19,000 psi)
There is no measurement record of a killer whale’s bite force, but estimates put it around 19,000 pounds per square inch (psi).
This is mostly because they are so enormous. They may weigh up to six tons (6096.28 kg) and grow to nineteen feet and fourteen inches (9.14 m).
Because most of the data is from simulations, theories, and experiments conducted on whales in captivity, this topic did not earn a place on the list.
14. Tiger (1,050 psi)
The average weight of a Bengal Tiger is between 250 and 500 pounds (113.39 kg and 226.79 kg).
Although India and China are where you may find these large cats in the greatest numbers, they are considered endangered because of their stunning fur and the usage of their bodies in traditional Chinese medicine.
Their relatives in Siberia are considerably larger and can weigh almost a thousand pounds (453.59 kg).
Tigers are solitary hunters for the most part, and their huge biting force enables them to quickly take down their chosen prey, which are large animals such as deer and wild boar.
As soon as they clamp their jaws around the neck of their prey, the animal is rendered helpless and eventually dies of asphyxiation. Only a few animals with the strongest bite force can easily perform this feat.
15. Spotted Hyena (1,100 psi)
Hyena packs are good hunters and voracious scavengers, and they have no problem feeding on the remains of prey that other predators have killed.
They also compete with lions because both species hunt prey, occupy the same areas, and frequently steal food.
They can break through heavy animal bones to get to the marrow inside because of the arched shape of their skulls and the massive jaw muscles they possess.
One reason hyenas survive well, even when there is a shortage of prey, is that they can utilize bones as an additional food source.
16. Grizzly Bear (1,000 to 1,200 psi)
The grizzly Bear, which lives in North America, is a powerful animal. A typical individual is approximately seven feet tall (2.13 meters) and weighs around 800 pounds (362.87 kg).
These omnivorous animals consume anything from fruits and nuts to fish and even huge animals like moose. They don’t discriminate when it comes to what they eat.
According to urban legends, grizzly bears, one of the animals with the strongest bite force, can bite through bone, small trees, and even cast iron skillets with surprising ease.
17. Alligator Snapping Turtle (1,004 psi)
The alligator snapping turtle is not like other turtles in that it is not little, it is not cute, it is not slow, and it is not generally harmful.
Although they are shorter than most of the animals on our list with the strongest bite force, averaging 26 inches in length, these little fellows are no laughing matter.
The bite force of an alligator snapping turtle is 1,004 pounds per square inch (PSI), which is higher than the bite force of a typical snapping turtle.
Do you remember the enormous hippos that we discussed earlier? Even though this turtle is much smaller than the other mammals, its bite is still half as strong and considerably exceeds that of a human or, for that matter, your pet dog.
If you’re looking for a new shelled pet, it’s best to stick to the smaller species while shopping for one. This super-strong mouth could easily break off a finger or two.
18. Humboldt Squid (6,00psi)
A squid’s jaw isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when one imagines animals with the strongest bite force, so that’s understandable.
Squids are well-known for their peculiar structure, which consists of neither an internal nor an exterior skeleton.
Scientists estimate that this creature’s formidable beak possesses a biting force of over 6,000 pounds per square inch (PSI), although getting close to it is extremely risky and impossible.
This squid has eight tentacles with multiple suction cups to capture and immobilize its prey. As if it needed extra assistance, this squid also has eight arms.
The powerful mouth muscles of these creatures then finish the job, leaving the other animals with no chance of survival.
19. Walrus (1,850psi)
How much damage could a giant floppy thing with an old man’s mustache do? A lot!
Despite their appearance as soft and harmless, these goofy-looking critters consume a variety of foods, including shellfish.
Walruses have the strongest bite force and can kill seals and eat them very quickly. Their enormous tusks allow them to compete successfully against polar bears.
It is not simply the enormous size of a walrus’s tusks but also the strength of its mouth that makes it such a formidable opponent.
In a situation with a pressure of 1,850 PSI, seals do not have a chance of surviving.
If you ever think of a walrus as nothing more than a ball of fluff lounging around and collecting fish, remember that it can perfectly battle for its life if a polar bear comes knocking on its door.
