Number 10 Human Brain power has successfully placed human
beings at the top of a food chain riddled with some truly outstanding predators.
Yet, according to some researchers, the evolution of the human brain hasn’t been without sacrifice.
About 2.5 million years ago, a mutation caused hominids to develop weaker jaw muscles which,
in turn, left more room for skull development.
No other primates have the mutation which in humans was caused by a protein called myosin.
Size and jaw power are distinguishing factor among apex predators.
When it comes to sheer brute force, humans aren’t even in the same league as crocodilians,
big cats or sharks.
Nevertheless, describing our jaws as “weak” is a mischaracterization, especially when
compared to other primates.
At its highest, a human bite can exert 265 PSI.
This measurement describes the pound-force pressure delivered over an area of one square
inch.
Human jaw power is only surpassed by that of the chimp and the gorilla.
With all primate skulls adjusted for size, humans are the leaders of the pack.
Moreover, our jaw muscles need to exert far less effort to deliver a significant bite.
To put that into perspective, without our brains acting as safeguards, we could easily
bite through our digits when eating finger food.
Number 9 Komodo Dragon The largest lizard species on Earth, Komodo
dragons own a vicious bite that comes with enough venom to take down a water buffalo.
The dragon can grow to be 10 feet long and weighs up to 205 pounds, or about as much
as an MMA light-heavyweight fighter.
It’s an apt comparison since the bite of a Komodo dragon packs a devastating punch.
While not the strongest on our list, it’s arguably one of the most terrifying.
60 razor-sharp serrated teeth plunge into a victim’s flesh and are then pulled back
allowing venom to seep into the open wound.
Large animals won’t succumb instantly but rather in a few days.
This isn’t an issue for the dragon since it can use its tongue to sample air particles
and detect carrion several miles away.
The giant lizard is also notoriously unscrupulous and will resort to cannibalism, often consuming
the younger member of its species.
Number 8 Gorilla One way of understanding an animal’s jaw
power is by the presence of a pronounced sagittal crest.
This is a ridge of bone that runs lengthwise atop the middle of the skull and which indicates
the existence of exceptionally strong jaws.
The temporalis is one of the main muscles involved in chewing.
The sagittal crest is attached to these muscles and acts like an anchor to their powerful
contraction.
Canines, felines and even some dinosaurs are known for the presence of a sagittal crest.
The one of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, for example, was particularly well developed.
Growing brains have contributed to a shrinking of the sagittal crest in humans.
The largest bone ridge in our lineage was found in a fossil dubbed “Black Skull”
and it goes back approximately 2.5 million years.
Unlike us, other great apes still have a skull design adapted to deliver brutal bites.
Adult male gorillas have pronounced sagittal crests as well as well developed brow ridges.
Their jaws feature long canines and can chew through tough bamboo or even break coconuts.
Large males bite with at least 1,000 PSI, enough to crumble a human femur.
Even though a gorilla’s jaw power is devastating, when it comes to violent confrontation with
humans, it most likely wouldn’t even need to bite.
A large silverback is up to 10 times stronger than the adult human male and could easily
inflict mortal wounds with its muscular forelimbs.
Number 7 Tiger There’s been a long-standing debate about
which animal would win in a fight to the death between the tiger and the lion.
While there are too many variables to declare a clear winner, the tiger does seem to have
an edge both in terms of size and jaw power.
Siberian tigers are the largest felines on the planet, capable of weighing over 600 pounds
while measuring up to 13 feet from head to tail.
To compare, that’s 60 times heavier than a household cat and heavier than the average
blue whale heart.
A Siberian tiger’s skull has a prominent sagittal crest and is more massive than that
of other subspecies.
A study conducted by Animal Planet has revealed that the lion bites with an estimated 600
PSI while the tiger delivers a staggering 1,050 PSI.
The strength of its paw swipe, calculated by the humerus-radius ratio, is also the highest
among big cats.
Additionally, the striped feline’s slightly curved canines are the longest of any cat
species, with a crown height of up 3.5 inches.
A tiger’s killing technique will involve a swift bite to the throat, through which
it suffocates its victim, or a bite to the back of the skull, plunging its canines through
the bone and into the victim’s brain.
While arguably the strongest of all felines, the tiger isn’t the pound-per-pound king.
That distinction belongs to the jaguar.
It’s the third-largest cat in the animal kingdom but its skull is arguably the most
robust.
Because a jaguar’s jaws are comparatively shorter and broader than those of other big
cats, the leverage of its bite is increased.
It comes with enough force to pierce through the thick, scaly skin of a caiman.
Number 6 Polar Bear The hypercarnivorous polar bear is one of
nature’s best-designed killing machines and the Arctic Circle’s undisputed apex
predator.
It’s the largest land carnivore in the animal kingdom and owns what’s arguably the strongest
bite of all bear species.
The largest polar bear males can weigh over 2,000 pounds and stand at 11 feet on their
hind legs.
That’s almost 2 feet more than the tallest human ever recorded.
The polar bear’s canines are generally longer and sharper than those of the brown bear,
the only species that can rival its physical prowess.
Polar bears are built for strength and power.
They primarily hunt seals from the edge of sea ice while using their necks and jaw muscles
to drag them out of the water.
Polar bears are even known to go after walruses, despite the fact that these creatures have
saber-like tusks and outweigh them, often by 2,000 pounds or more.
Unlike other bear species, Ursus maritimus feeds solely on meat.
They have no ingrained fear of humans and may therefore hunt them for food or even sport.
Number 5 Spotted Hyena An opportunistic killer with jaws that can
turn bones to dust, the spotted hyena is a force to be reckoned with on the African predator
scene.
From an anthropomorphic perspective, it’s basically the animal equivalent of the Joker.
The maniacal “laughter”, which is unique to the spotted hyena, becomes arguably more
terrifying upon closer inspection.
Clans will often produce these noises upon successful kills and the beasts are known
to “giggle” when tearing into carcasses.
Hyenas will also make laughing sounds when approached by rival predators, such as lions
or leopards.
While there are many fascinating aspects about the spotted hyena, one of its most outstanding
features has to do with skull design.
It has special vaulting, acting as protection against large forces, and a narrow sagittal
crest.
Relative to its size, the hyena has one of the most powerfully-built skulls of all carnivores.
Its bite has been measured at approximately 1,140 PSI.
It clamps down with roughly 40% more force than a leopard and is better at crushing bones
than a brown bear.
Hyenas have even been observed cracking open the leg bones of giraffes, which are among
the thickest in the animal kingdom.
They also waste nothing, as they’re capable of digesting every organic component of the
bones, not only the marrow.
Number 4 Hippopotamus Upon first glance, the hippo isn’t the most
intimidating animal in the African wilderness.
With threatening megafauna such as Cape buffalos, lions or Nile crocodiles, it tends to get
overlooked.
Yet, this barrel-bodied beast is arguably the deadliest animal on the continent.
It can open its mouth at nearly 180° and bites down with an estimated 1,800 PSI.
Huge canines and incisors plunge into the victim’s flesh, ravaging living tissue in
their path.
Hippo jaws have a fearsome reputation, as there’ve even been reports of them biting
crocodiles in half.
Number 3 Killer Whale Orcas are commonly known as killer whales
but this colloquial moniker is a misrepresentation.
These creatures are actually part of the oceanic dolphin family and, aside from a number of
incidents at marine-themed parks, aren’t the notorious man-killers one would think.
They’re highly intelligent, form complex social bounds and will cooperate when hunting
in a manner similar to wolf packs.
While definitely not the “savage killers” that the stereotype has painted them as, orcas
are, indeed, apex predators.
Males can grow up to 26 feet, or about the length of a school bus, and weigh close to
7 tons.
Orcas are among the fastest marine mammals, capable of reaching speeds of up to 35 miles
per hour.
They have conical teeth, which are very sturdy, and their jaws exert a powerful grip.
Orcas will actively hunt adult white sharks and are arguably the only marine creatures
that dare do so.
One terrifying trend among orcas stands testament to the destructive force of their bite.
In 2007, five corpses of great white sharks were found on South African beaches.
They had holes in them that looked as if they’d been surgically made.
When they go after great whites, orcas make a wound and start consuming their calorie-dense
livers while the rest of the body is typically abandoned.
Number 2 Great White Shark When looking at jaw power in terms of historical
greatness, one creature’s bite reigns supreme.
The Megalodon lived 23 to 3.5 million years ago and was the undisputed king of the ocean.
Its teeth were exceptionally thick and robust, well-suited for grabbing prey and breaking
bone.
They were distributed in five rows across its jaws that spanned up to 6ft 6ins across,
which is equivalent to Michael Jordan’s height.
The Megalodon could grow to be longer than a Greyhound bus and weigh over 60 tons.
It could bite with up to 41,000 PSI, which is enough to shatter a small boat.
The heir to the evolutionary throne, although considerably smaller, has retained much of
the appearance and ferocity of its predecessor.
The great white shark is the main predator of marine wildlife as well as the shark responsible
for the greatest number of attacks on humans.
Its serrated teeth can tear through flesh with ease.
Once the great white clamps down, it will start shaking its head from side to side.
The teeth act like a saw, ripping through bones and muscle tissue.
Its jaws, made infamous by Steven Spielberg, can deliver nearly 4,000 PSI, enough to bite
clean through any part of the human body.
Number 1 Saltwater Crocodile Much like great whites, modern crocodilian
species also hail from prehistoric monsters.
Sarcosuchus imperator, also known as SuperCroc, is the largest crocodilian species in history.
Two times longer and ten times heavier than modern crocodiles, it could bite with an estimated
18,000 PSI.
Deinosuchus, which is believed to have been slightly smaller than SuperCroc, could deliver
roughly 23,000 PSI with its incredibly powerful jaws.
It’s believed that not even the largest of theropod dinosaurs, such as the T-Rex or
Gigantosaurus, could achieve such a bite force.
The saltwater crocodile is the largest extant crocodile and owns the strongest bite of any
living animal.
Adjusted for size, the most massive saltwater crocs can generate more than 7,700 PSI.
The extraordinary bite force that crocodilians can deliver has to do with their anatomy.
The spaces in the skull reserved for jaw muscles are very wide and look like bulges on the
side of the croc’s skull.
The muscles themselves are hard as bone and perfectly adapted for clamping down.
Once the giant reptile has closed its jaws on large prey, it will sometimes engage in
the death roll.
The crocodile will twist and turn its body, with the jaws still clamped down, thus tearing
chunks of flesh out of its prey.
The only way in which its victim would be spared from excruciating pain is if the croc
chooses to drown it first.
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