The biodiversity of the animal kingdom is immense and nearly immeasurable. Not only are there animals of every shape, size, and color, but there are even some that no one could ever imagine existing! With that said, something that is almost universal in the animal world is the mouth (and they too come in all sorts of shapes and sizes!). Today we’ll be looking at the animals that have the strongest bite forces in the whole animal kingdom. Whether they are predator or prey, one thing is certain; I would not want these guys to bite me!
Number 10: Bengal Tiger – 1,050 psi
Starting off our list is the beautiful Bengal tiger found in India. This killing machine is capable of a bite more than five times as powerful as a human’s bite!
Number 9: Spotted Hyena – 1,100 psi
The spotted hyena is an incredibly light canine considering the power of its bite. These guys are located all over sub-Saharan Africa, and have such a strong bite in order to break bones and feed on the nutritious bone marrow of its prey.
Number 8: Polar/Grizzly Bear -1,200 psi
These two need little introduction, since everyone is familiar with the two. The polar and grizzly bears dominate Northern America as the Apex predators of their biome.
Number 7: Gorilla – 1,300 psi
The gorilla is not an animal one normally associates with strong bite force, but they have a bite strong enough to break most bones. Although there is little research on why they bite so hard, it could be because they require strong jaw muscles to crush fibrous vegetation.
Number 6: Bull Shark – 1,350 psi
Coming in at number 6, the bull shark is our first non-terrestrial animal on our list. Some of the largest, strongest animals in the world live in the sea, but because they live in the sea it makes recording their bite force very difficult.
Number 5: Jaguar – 1,500 psi
The Jaguar is the second feline coming in on our list, and this one packs a much more powerful bite than the last. As opposed to most large predatory cats, the jaguar does not target the throat of its prey. Instead it just tries to get its jaws around its skull and crush it. Brutal!
Number 4: Hippopotamus – 2,000 psi
The Hippo is generally accepted as the deadliest animal in all of Africa, and for good reason! These two ton behemoths are often taken as being passive and calm by non-natives, but they can actually be intensely territorial. This leads to at least 500 people dying each year from them.
Number 3: American Alligator – 2,150 psi
Don’t let this little guy fool you! In just two to three years this fella will grow big and strong enough to break an arm, and that is while they are still a juvenile. After about ten to twelve years the american alligator is fully grown at six feet, and capable of taking down just about anything in its native habitat.
Number 2: Saltwater Crocodile – 3,700 psi
This river monster is a deadly predator that can grow to be over 17 feet long, and weight over a ton! Although they aren’t our first place, that doesn’t take away from the terror these animals cause to the poor souls who come into contact with them.
Honorable Mentions: Great White Shark/Killer Whale – 4,000/19,000 psi
For our honorable mentions we have the Great White Shark, and the Orca/Killer Whale! Although these animals have nearly inconceivable bite forces (especially the Orca) it should be said that these animals have never been recorded. These numbers are based off of computer simulations, and research on the anatomy of the animal. This is the reason why these beautiful beasts of the sea did not make it on our list.
Number 1: Nile Crocodile – 5,000 psi
And in first place, the Nile Crocodile! These reptiles don’t grow to the same size as their salty cousins coming in second, but they have more developed jaw muscles. This causes them to have significantly more powerful bite forces by comparison.
Seeing the power these creatures hold in their jaws can be incredibly humbling, but that doesn’t mean we as a species can’t appreciate their beauty. Even if these creatures aren’t “pretty” by traditional standards (like the crocodiles and alligators) it is important to understand the role they play in their ecosystem, and how crucial it is that they remain protected.
