Deadly Jaws
It's not the whales or the sharks but the crocodiles that have the highest bite force among all extant animals. The crocs, literally, have a lethal bite.
Crocodile attacks are responsible for nearly 1000 human deaths each year. While humans are not their primary prey, crocodiles are opportunistic killers and nearly 75% of their attacks on humans are fatal. This number is much higher than the number of deaths caused by sharks.
One of the things that make crocodiles extremely dangerous is their bite force. Measuring at around 3700 pounds per square inch (PSI), crocodiles have an immensely powerful bite force. In fact, one of the most prominent characteristics of a crocodile attack is that they end up crushing their prey before swallowing it whole. Out of all the crocodiles, the saltwater crocodile is deemed the most dangerous, though the Nile crocodile is considered no less deadly. Some studies have shown Nile crocodiles to have a greater bite force than all other species of crocodiles.
Saltwater crocodiles are one of the most ancient animals on the planet. They evolved more than 100 million years ago, and are known as ‘living fossils’ for this reason. Furthermore, scientists have observed that they have largely remained unchanged from their ancient counterparts in all these years.
Dr. Gregory Erickson, a world-renowned paleobiologist at the Florida State University, conducted extensive research and studied various crocodile species. For determining the bite force of the saltwater crocodile, Dr. Erickson placed a device at the end of a stick, which measured the bite force of a 17 feet long specimen.
Saltwater crocodiles often engage in a fatal move called the ‘death roll’ as soon as they bite into their prey. In the death roll, saltwater crocodiles bite into their prey and start rolling with the hold intact, allowing little scope of escape. This, combined with the massive force of the bite, kills the prey before it can even process what is happening to it.
A crocodile’s bite force is directly proportional to its size. The larger the size, the bigger the bite force. The reason that crocodiles have such a strong bite force is a second joint in their jaws that enhances the force. All species of crocodiles have this second jaw joint, which helps in the distribution of force. However, this also has a rather interesting implication. Since the mechanism of the jaws is naturally designed to hold the jaws together, crocodiles require relatively more muscular effort in opening their mouths, which is exactly why it is possible to hold a crocodile’s mouth shut with one’s bare hands.
They have arguably the strongest bite force amongst all existing animals. While it makes them deadly predators, several other animals are formidable in their own right when it comes to bite force. Jaguars, for example, are one of the strongest mammals in terms of bite force. They have a bite force of 1500psi. Jaguars can take down animals four times heavier than their own weight with just one good bite to the back of their necks. In fact, the bite of a jaguar is capable of piercing the hard skin of a crocodile. Hippopotamuses also have an immensely powerful bite force measuring up to 1800 psi. This, combined with the huge size of their mouth, makes them a worthy opponent. Hippos use their strength to fend themselves against several apex predators. Moving to the seas, the greatest bite force recorded is that of the bull shark. It can generate up to 1350 psi with one good bite.
While all of these animals are incredibly strong in terms of bite force, they cannot compete with the power of crocodiles. With 3700 psi of bite force, crocodiles far outclass jaguars, hippos, and bull sharks. Probably Steven Spielberg featured the wrong animal in ‘Jaws’.
Editorial Support: Phoenix Content India
