A strong bite force means an animal can close its jaws with immense power. 

It’s a clear indication of bone-crushing capability used for hunting, defense, or eating tough food.

In the visualization above, we show animals with the strongest bite force, measured in Newtons per square inch.

It is based on data from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. 

One striking insight is that none of the four strongest biters are mammals.

TL;DR

• The Great White Shark generates approximately 18,000 Newtons of bite force, while the Jaguar produces the least at 1,254 Newtons, despite being one of the most lethally efficient predators on the list.
• None of the four strongest biters are mammals.

Note: Some measurements have been recorded in scientific studies, while others are estimates or have only been recorded once.

Cold Blood At The Top

The four strongest bites in the ranking belong to cold-blooded animals.

• The Great White Shark leads at approximately 18,000 Newtons.
• The Saltwater Crocodile follows at 16,414 Newtons. 
• The American Alligator sits third at 13,172 Newtons, and the Shortfin Mako Shark fourth at 13,000 Newtons.

The alligator-mako pairing is the list’s most structurally surprising comparison.

A freshwater reptile found in swamps and rivers and an open-ocean shark capable of speeds exceeding 45 kilometers per hour produce virtually identical bite force figures through entirely different evolutionary paths.

The alligator’s jaw evolved to crush hard-shelled turtles and large prey. The mako’s evolved to grip fast-moving fish. 

The first mammal on the list is the Polar Bear, which generates up to 5,000 Newtons.

The saltwater crocodile bites with more than three times the force of a polar bear.

The Herbivore That Bites Harder Than The Jaguar

The Western Gorilla generates approximately 3,420 Newtons of bite force. 

It ranks eighth on a list of nine and is also a herbivore. 

Gorillas eat bark, stems, roots, and fibrous vegetation that requires substantial crushing force to process. 

The jaw musculature that produces 3,420 Newtons was not built for predation. It was built for plant material tough enough to require it. 

The result is a great ape whose bite exceeds that of the jaguar by nearly three times, produced by an animal that has no interest in biting anything other than its food.

ELI5

The animals with the strongest bites are not the ones most people expect. Sharks and crocodiles bite far harder than any mammal.

The jaguar has the weakest bite on the list but kills by biting through skulls, making it one of the most efficient hunters anyway.

A gorilla bites nearly three times harder than the jaguar, and it only eats plants.

Source:

International Fund for Animal Welfare.