Animals with the Most Powerful Bite Force

Let us begin with his highness, the lion, also known as the 'King of the Jungle'. (Although the lion has never traveled to a jungle and probably doesn't even know what one is. Still, he is the king, he gets what he wants!)

A lion stands about 6.5 feet tall and is packed with 550 lbs of pure muscle. It is fierce, powerful, and wears a huge, fuzzy mane. This heavyweight predator is known to deliver a bite force of 650 psi. That may sound like a big number, but it is actually the lowest bite force in the entire cat family. A bit embarrassing, really.

A bear's bite force is measured at 975 psi, stronger than a lion but weaker than a tiger, as you will see. It is said that with a bite force this large, bears can easily crack a bowling ball. (Not that they would willingly do that and risk chipping their teeth!)

Bears are huge mammals. Some species weigh up to 1,700 lbs and reach a length of up to 10 feet. With a body that big, they would probably win a 'crushing-your-prey-by-sitting-on-it' competition too, not just the chomping contest.

If nature were a great artist, the tiger would be the masterpiece! The tiger is the largest animal in the cat family, and one of the most ferocious hunters in the wild. It stands 11 feet tall and can weigh as much as 670 lbs.

This fearsome hunter moves silently through the forest. Its black-striped, reddish-orange fur blends in perfectly with tall grasses, hiding it from prey. When it finally strikes, it sinks its canines into its prey with a bite force of 1,050 psi, far more than that of the lion. Perhaps that is why the tiger lives alone most of the time. With strength like that, who needs a 'pride'?

Every large carnivore seems to be outpacing the lion. You might be able to escape a lion or tiger, they will eventually give up the chase. But if you are ever chased by a hyena, you will need to keep running for a very long time. Hyenas have amazing stamina, making them one of the most successful predators in the wild.

Hyenas can chase their prey for more than 5 km, keeping up a speed of 60 km/hr. Eventually the prey tires out completely, and the hyena begins to feed. It starts with the softer parts of the body, then moves to the tougher bits, and finally cracks the bones, leaving almost nothing behind. Scientists say the bone-crushing ability of a hyena is greater than that of a brown bear. All of this is done with a powerful bite force of 1,100 psi.

Gorillas are 6-foot-tall giants that weigh up to 400 lbs. They are strong, peaceful, intelligent, and shy. After chimps and bonobos, gorillas are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.

Their diet is made up mostly of leaves, stems, shoots, insects, and fruits, depending on the species. You might think that because they eat mostly plants, a gorilla's bite force would be much weaker. But you would be wrong. This gentle giant can bite down with a force of almost 1,300 psi. Gorillas rarely use their full bite force when eating. That power is saved for conflicts, for example, with leopards, which are one of the few predators of gorillas.

If you thought the tiger had the strongest bite in the cat family, you would be wrong. That title belongs to the jaguar. Jaguars can deliver a bite force of 1,350 psi, that is twice as powerful as the lion's bite.

Most big cats (like the lion and the tiger) kill their prey by biting down on the throat and cutting off the air supply. The jaguar does something different. It goes straight for the skull, crushing it and piercing the brain with its long, thick canines. With a strong, stocky body weighing up to 211 lbs and a bite that powerful, this hunter can even crack open the shells of armored prey like turtles.

When we picture a hippopotamus, we usually think of its enormous head and those long, thick, giant ivory canine teeth. Each lower canine can reach a length of 20 inches, while the lower incisors can grow up to 16 inches long. On average, adult males can weigh up to 4,000 lbs and reach a length of 17 feet.

Hippos are herbivores, they eat grass and water plants. So what are those huge ivory teeth for? They are used in territorial fights and conflicts with other animals. Those teeth can deliver a bite force of 1,825 psi.

Hippos can look calm and peaceful when they are soaking in the water. But they are known for having very bad tempers, especially the males, who are extremely protective of their territory. Many cases have been reported of hippos attacking humans without any obvious reason. That is why they are considered one of the most dangerous large animals in Africa. In fact, hippos are linked to more human deaths in Africa than almost any other animal.

First things first, alligators are apex predators. That means they are at the very top of the food chain. They eat other animals, and nothing eats them (well, except humans, who seem willing to eat just about anything that moves).

These reptiles can grow to 14 feet in length and weigh more than 990 lbs. If the alligator were a wrestler, its signature move would be the 'death roll'. An adult alligator has 74-80 teeth. It bites down on its prey, then spins and thrashes so violently in the water that chunks of meat tear loose. That move is called the 'death roll'. The bite force during this move? A monstrous 2,125 psi.

And the gold medal in the chomping competition goes to... the saltwater crocodile! This giant can weigh up to 4,400 lbs and stretch 23 feet long. It is one of the most powerful animals on Earth. The saltwater crocodile has a massive jaw structure, jaw muscles as hard as bone, and razor-sharp teeth, its head is nature's ultimate biting machine.

Lab tests carried out by experts have confirmed the saltwater crocodile as the world's most powerful chomper. The reptile can slam its jaw shut with an unbelievable force of 3,700 pounds per square inch!

No article about powerful bites would be complete without mentioning the Tasmanian Devil. This small, stocky carnivore marsupial from the forests of Tasmania can chomp down with a bite force quotient (BFQ) of 181.

The bite forces above were all measured in PSI, the pressure produced on one square inch of area. BFQ is a bit different. It is worked out by dividing an animal's bite force by its body mass. Through careful tests and studies, scientists have found that the Tasmanian Devil is the mammal with the strongest bite force quotient on Earth. In plain terms: it produces more bite force for its size than any other mammal. And it weighs no more than 26 lbs.