Animal Bite Force Comparison: Who Has the Strongest Bite?
Compare the animal bite force of crocodiles, lions, hyenas, sharks, bears, dogs and you. Every number shows whether scientists measured it or estimated it.
How to use the bite force comparison
Pick two animals and watch their bite force meters fill. Switch between newtons, pounds-force and kilograms-force at the top. Tap any animal in the rankings to send it into the showdown.
Every number carries a label. Measured means scientists tested live animals with a bite-force meter. Estimated means they worked it out from skulls or computer models. Untraced claim means a popular number with no study behind it that I could find.
Which animal has the strongest bite?
The saltwater crocodile holds the record for the strongest bite ever measured. In 2012, Gregory Erickson’s team recorded 16,414 N from one adult. That equals about 3,690 pounds-force.
Some extinct animals bit even harder, but only on paper. Models put megalodon up to about 182,000 N and T. rex up to about 34,500 N.
| Animal | Bite force | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Saltwater crocodile | 16,414 N (3,690 lbf) | Measured |
| American alligator | 9,452 N (2,125 lbf) | Measured |
| Spotted hyena | 4,500 N (1,012 lbf) | Measured |
| Nile crocodile (2.5 m animals) | 3,172 N (713 lbf) | Measured |
| Adult human (young men) | 847 N (190 lbf) | Measured |
The Nile crocodiles tested were small, about 2.5 m long. Big adults likely bite far harder.
Bite force of a lion
Lion bite force is about 1,768 N at the canines, estimated from skulls. That was the highest canine bite of any living mammal in a 2005 study. Lions use it to grip and suffocate large prey.
Many sites quote “650 psi” for lions. Psi is a unit of pressure, not force, so treat that figure with caution. Read my African lion facts.
Lion vs tiger vs jaguar
The tiger’s canine estimate is 1,525 N, a little below the lion. The jaguar’s is 1,014 N. For its body size, though, the jaguar bites hardest of the three. See my jaguar facts.
Hyena bite force
Hyena bite force is one of the most famous in nature. One spotted hyena recorded 4,500 N at the back teeth. That is the highest bite force recorded in any carnivoran mammal.
Their skull-based canine estimate is only 773 N. The gap shows why the part of the jaw matters. Hyenas crack bones with their back teeth, not their front fangs. Read more hyena facts.
Crocodile and alligator bite force
Crocodile bite force rises with body size. Erickson’s team measured 23 crocodylian species. The saltwater crocodile topped them all, and the American alligator reached 9,452 N.
From my zoo days. I worked in a zoo reptile house, and crocodiles were among my main animals. We fed them whole chickens. Most were calm, but I always took extra care entering their enclosures.
I also grew up in Villahermosa, Tabasco, beside a river where crocodiles were part of daily life. Attacks there were not uncommon.
Learn how to tell them apart in alligator vs crocodile vs caiman, or meet Australia’s crocodiles.
Bear bite force
Bear bite force is lower for their size than you might expect. Skull estimates give the brown bear (grizzly) about 751 N at the canines. The American black bear comes out at about 541 N.
Bears eat a lot of plants, so they don’t need a pure hunter’s bite. The popular “1,160 psi” grizzly and “1,200 psi” polar bear figures have no study behind them that I could find.
The only wild bears I’ve seen are American black bears near Vancouver. One crossed the trail right in front of me. Read my grizzly bear facts.
Hippo bite force and gorilla bite force: the untraced numbers
Hippo bite force is often given as 1,800 psi, or about 8,000 N. Gorilla bite force is often given as 1,300 psi. I searched for the studies behind both numbers and found none.
That doesn’t mean their bites are weak. Hippos are among Africa’s most dangerous animals, and gorillas have huge jaw muscles. It means nobody has published a measurement yet. Read about hippos and silverback gorillas.
Bite force of a human
The bite force of a human is stronger than most people think. A Finnish study measured 847 N on average for young men and 597 N for young women. Those bites were at the back teeth.
Front teeth bite much more weakly. A larger Finnish study found incisor bites of about 325 to 382 N.
Dog bite force: which dog has the highest bite force?
Dog bite force varies hugely. A study of 22 pet dogs measured an average of 256 N. Results ranged from 13 N to 1,394 N, depending on the dog’s size and effort.
You will often read that the Kangal has the highest dog bite force, at 743 psi. I could not find a published study behind that number. No published study I found ranks dog breeds by measured bite force.
Great white shark and megalodon bite force
Nobody has measured a great white shark’s bite directly. A 2008 computer model estimated about 17,790 N for a 6.5 m shark. The same team estimated megalodon at roughly 108,500 to 182,200 N.
I have dived with hammerheads, whale sharks and wobbegongs, but never a great white. I’m happy to keep it that way. Read my great white shark facts, or compare them in the shark size comparison.
Newtons, pounds and psi explained
A newton (N) measures force. One pound-force (lbf) equals about 4.45 N. Psi means pounds per square inch, a unit of pressure.
The same bite creates huge pressure on a sharp tooth tip and much less on a flat molar. That’s why psi numbers can’t rank bites fairly.
Want more animal records? Try the fastest animals race, the animal size comparison and the Venom Index.
Keep learning
Keep learning about bite force
Want the numbers on paper? Take the infographics with you in a free printable guide.
References
- Erickson, G. M., et al. (2012). Insights into the ecology and evolutionary success of crocodilians revealed through bite-force and tooth-pressure experimentation. PLoS ONE, 7(3), e31781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0031781
- Wroe, S., McHenry, C., & Thomason, J. (2005). Bite club: Comparative bite force in big biting mammals and the prediction of predatory behaviour in fossil taxa. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272(1563), 619–625. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2004.2986
- Wroe, S., et al. (2008). Three-dimensional computer analysis of white shark jaw mechanics: How hard can a great white bite? Journal of Zoology, 276(4), 336–342. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00494.x
- Gignac, P. M., & Erickson, G. M. (2017). The biomechanics behind extreme osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex. Scientific Reports, 7, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-02161-w
- Kim, S. E., Arzi, B., Garcia, T. C., & Verstraete, F. J. M. (2018). Bite forces and their measurement in dogs and cats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, 76. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00076
- Waltimo, A., & Könönen, M. (1993). A novel bite force recorder and maximal isometric bite force values for healthy young adults. Scandinavian Journal of Dental Research, 101(3), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0722.1993.tb01658.x
- Waltimo, A., & Könönen, M. (1995). Maximal bite force and its association with signs and symptoms of craniomandibular disorders in young Finnish non-patients. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica, 53(4), 254–258. https://doi.org/10.3109/00016359509005982
FAQs You May Have
The saltwater crocodile has the strongest bite ever measured: 16,414 N, or about 3,690 pounds-force. Extinct megalodon may have bitten far harder.
Skull-based estimates put a lion’s canine bite at about 1,768 N. That is the highest canine bite of any living mammal in that study.
One spotted hyena recorded 4,500 N at the back teeth. It is the highest bite force recorded in any carnivoran mammal.
Hippo bite force is often quoted as 1,800 psi. I could not find a published study that measured it, so treat that number with caution.
Young men averaged 847 N and young women 597 N at the back teeth in a Finnish study. Front teeth bite much more weakly.
No published study I found ranks breeds by measured bite force. Pet dogs in one study averaged 256 N, ranging from 13 to 1,394 N.
Many sites use psi, but psi measures pressure, not force. Scientists measure bite force in newtons or pounds-force.
Measured numbers come from live animals biting a sensor. Estimated numbers come from skulls or computer models and often come out lower.
