Experimental Research:

Top 10 Animal Bites that will Completely Destroy You

ALEC AYCINENA NOVEMBER 5, 2012

Here is the list of the ten animals with the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom. There are animals
which have been excluded who could probably make it here but there is a lack of research on their bite,
since it is hard and expensive to measure. A notable exception will be the Great White Shark, but I was
unable to find a number that was not theoretical.
Each animals bite is measured in PSI or pounds per square inch.

Lion: 600 psi

A surprise placing for the king of the jungle (though it has never lived in a jungle). Lions are the only
social cat in the world. They are so cooperative when they hunt that this might be one of the reasons they
have evolved to have the weakest bite of the genus big cat. Another reason might be that their hunting habit,
strangling its prey by biting its trachea, lacks the need of a strong bite.

Tiger: 1050 psi

They have a powerful bite, nearly twice that of the lion. There are more tigers in captivity than in the wild.
They usually avoid humans but attacks on humans and cattle have been reported around the world.

Spotted Hyena - 1100 psi

Most sources say the hyena bite is around 1100 psi, but Wikipedia says it is 11,400, however I couldnt find
any other sources which could corroborate this claim. Having said that, the hyena has one of the most
powerful bites in the animal kingdom, having even been observed crushing giraffe bones. It is this
scavenger behavior which is the most likely culprit for the hyenas strong jaw. Since it needed a powerful
jaw to get to the marrow inside the bones left by lions and other big predators.
Although they look like dogs the hyena is actually more closely related to cats, belonging to the suborder
feliformia instead of the dog suborder caniformia.

Grizzly Bear - 1200 psi

The grizzly brown bear is considered more aggressive than other bears. It is theorized that because of their
size, grizzly bears are unable to climb trees so they have evolved this defense mechanism to ward off prey.
It is probably this same evolutionary road which gave the bear its powerful jaws, helping it defend itself
from wolves and other intruders. They can weigh from 600 to 1000 pounds.

Gorilla - 1300 psi

This one might surprise some because of their vegetarian nature. But the gorilla is a formidable candidate in
this list. They have jaws primarily adapted to chew strong hard plants like bamboo, which have given them
incredibly strong jaw and neck muscles capable of punching a 1300 psi bite.
Gorillas tend to be gentle creatures and do not pose a threat to humans.

Hippopotamus - 1821 psi

The hippo is one of the most feared animals in Africa. Being highly territorial and aggressive, it has been
known to knock over small boats and attack the crew. Only the female hippos bite force has been measured
since the male was much too aggressive to test, but it measured at a whopping 1821 pounds per square inch.
The word Hippopotamus comes from the Greek water-horse due to the hippos fondness for water.

Jaguar . 2000 psi

The jaguar has the strongest bite force of any cat, and by my findings, the strongest bite of any mammal.
The real king of the jungle, the jaguar is found from Mexico to Argentina. The jaguar kills by biting the
head of its prey. Like most other big cats (except the lion) the jaguar is a solitary killer. The jaguar is
renowned to for its ability to successfully kill anacondas and caimans. Its bite is so strong it can easily
pierce through the shell of animals, like turtles. The jaguar comes from the Amerindian word Yaguar which
means he who kills with one leap.

American Alligator - 2125 psi

In a recent study by National Geographic, American Alligators tested at 2125 psi, yet they did not test the
larger alligator, so this number could be higher. Yet this problem arises with the three members of the
crocodilian superfamily mentioned here.

Saltwater Crocodile
3700 psi

Saltwater crocs (do you know the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?) tested the highest in the
National Geographic experiment mentioned above with 3700 psi. Yet they only measured a few smaller
crocs. National Geographic claims that if this number were to be translated to 20 footers (which do exist, in
abundance) the number could be higher than 7,000 psi.
These monsters are found from eastern India to southeast Asia and northern Australia. Saltwater Crocs eat
anything they can bite from water buffalo to fish and even sharks.

Nile Crocodile - 5000 psi

In the National Geographic experiment the Nile Croc actually tested lower than the Saltwater Croc, but most
other sources have the Nile Croc at 5000 psi. Nile Crocs tend to be about the same size as Saltwater Crocs
and thus their bite seems to be at the same range. The two are interchangeable when it comes to the placing
on this list and the numbers will vary due to the difficulty in measuring the bites of each and getting the
right sized croc to measure.