7 Animals with the Strongest Bite, Number 6 to Protect Yourself

INDONEWTRAVEL.COM - Some animals are known to have a strong bite because of their large muscles and jawbones. Even their bite is getting stronger because they have a number of very sharp teeth and fangs.

The bite of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) has an estimated bite force of nearly 4,000 pounds per square inch (psi). However it was calculated by a computer model based on the size of the skull from an X-ray image generated by a computerized tomography (CT) scanner.

Because it has never been officially counted, the great white shark is not included in the animal with the strongest bite. While the average human bite force is about 162 psi. The following is a list of animals with the strongest bites summarized by INDOWTRAVEL.COM.

1. Hyena, (1.100 psi)

Hyena's bite force is used to grind bones to get delicious marrow. Hyenas have conical premolars, special teeth for breaking and crushing bones.

Together with their powerful jaws and broad molars, these dog-like carnivorous mammals ensure that no part of the carcass is wasted. Thanks to the highly concentrated hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, they can even digest bones.

2. Grizzly Bear, (1.160 psi)

The bite force of the grizzly bear is used to tear the flesh of animals, breaking the bones of large prey. In addition to their large size and sharp claws, the grizzly bear has a bite strong enough to crush a bowling ball or human skull, without flinching.

3. Gorilla (1.300 psi)

Despite their strong bite, gorillas are mostly vegetarian. The gorilla's bite force is used to chew hard branches and tear tree bark.

They use their powerful jaws to peel the bark, first from the tree. Then for trees like Milicia, to separate the outer (removed) bark from the sweet inner bark.

4. Bull Shark (1.350 psi)

The bull shark has more teeth than any other shark species, up to 350 teeth at a time. The bite force of the bull shark is used to chew a wide variety of foods, from oysters and turtles to baby hippos and other sharks.

The shark's mouth works like a conveyor belt: as the old teeth, close to the edges of the jaws, fall, teeth from the rear row move forward to replace them. This means they can grow up to 50,000 teeth in a lifetime! No wonder shark teeth are so common in the fossil record.

5. Jaguar (1.500 psi)

The jaguar's bite force is used to cut armored crocodile skin, turtle shells, and crush bones. As opportunistic hunters, jaguars will prey on just about anything. With one powerful bite on the back of the skull, the jaguar can overpower an animal that weighs four times its body.

6. Hippopotamus (1.800 psi)

The hippo's bite force is used for defense against apex predators, or attack/defense against other hippos.

7. Alligator ( 2.125 psi)

The bite force of the American alligator or alligator is used to ambush prey, regardless of species. This is because alligators are known as opportunistic predators. Alligators can prey on snakes, fish, and turtles to mammals and amphibians, and even insects. Researchers from Florida State University found that a crocodile bite can lift a small truck.