Is a human jaw stronger than a shark?

The jaws of a great white shark can inflict a bone-crunching bite of up to 1.8 tonnes, according to Australian researchers. The fearsome predator's chomp is around three times more powerful than a lion's, at least 20 times stronger than a human's and just over half as strong as Tyrannosaurus rex.

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Can humans bite as hard as sharks?

Though composed of different materials, the chompers of both species are equally tough. Don't feel inadequate. Even though your teeth are largely composed of a mineral softer than that found in sharks, new tests reported in the Journal of Structural Biology suggest that they're just as tough.

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Is a human jaw the strongest?

Our second molars can exert a bite force between 1,100 and 1,300 Newtons, beating the orang-utan, gibbon and Australopithecus but lagging behind the gorilla, chimp and Paranthropus. These forces are roughly what you'd expect for a primate of our size.

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What animal has the strongest jaw strength?

American Alligators have a bite force of about 2125 PSI. And the strongest known bite force of the entire animal kingdom is…. The Crocodile -- specifically, the Saltwater Crocodile (the highest recorded “live” bite of 3700 PSI) and the Nile Crocodile (estimated 4000-5000 PSI)!

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How strong is a human jaw compared to an animal?

While some animals, like alligators and lions, can chomp down with over 1,000 pounds of force, the average human bite force is only around 200–300 pounds of force. The big difference may seem strange, but there's a good reason for it.

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Understanding Jaws: Great White Shark Bites

42 related questions found

How many kg can a human bite?

Did you know that the human jaw is capable of exerting up to 125 kg of force in a single bite? On average, the female bite registers at 50 kg, while the male bite registers at 70 kg. There is a wide variance in pressure between the front and the back teeth, with the back teeth (molars) bearing most of the stress.

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What is the hardest thing a human can bite through?

Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body, leading one to question why humans do not have an armor-like hide composed of this amazing organic substance.

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Are human jaws stronger than gorillas?

MODERN HUMANS CAN BITE off more than apes can chew, according to new research. Australian scientists have found that the relatively light human skull has a far more efficient bite compared to the jaws of chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans.

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What is the bite force of a shark?

Computer models suggest that the maximum bite force for a large shark would be 18,000 Newtons (18,000kgm/s²), but this hasn't been measured on a living shark. Sharks have very sharp teeth and rely on slicing and head-shaking to rip off chunks of flesh, so they don't need to bite down with their full force.

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How strong is a human bite?

Compared with other mammals (like dogs and bears), humans don't have the strongest bite. Scientists measure the amount of pressure exerted by an animal's bite in pounds per square inch (psi). The human bite force is 162 psi.

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Is the human jaw strong enough to bite off a finger?

In reality: Yes, you probably can devour a finger, but it's not comparable to chomping on a vegetable, and gnawing on your own digit would require a substantial commitment to searing pain.

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How strong is a human skull?

The standard for this kind of elasticity in solid materials is called "Young's Modulus" and it's measured in GigaPascals. (But you knew that already.) Turns out the human skull can withstand 6.5 GPa of pressure, while oak holds up under 11, concrete 30, aluminum 69 and steel 200.

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Where does human bite force rank?

Although we have a bite force stronger than some of our other primate relatives, the average human bite force is 162psi. That means the Nile crocodile, at the top of our list, has a bite force of over 30 times more powerful than a human!

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Could a shark swallow a human?

It is reasonable to assume you could fit inside that big mouth, but thankfully their throat is much smaller, so even if you did manage to get yourself in the mouth of a basking shark it would not be able to swallow you.

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Are shark scared of humans?

Sharks have been known to attack humans when they are confused or curious. If a shark sees a human splashing in the water, it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack. Still, sharks have more to fear from humans than we do of them.

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Do sharks eat humans or just bite?

Attacks are extremely rare and people are rarely consumed by sharks. A shark is capable of eating someone if they wanted to but it often doesn't, which suggests we're not considered prey and certainly not targeted, so that should allay a lot of fears.

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Can a shark bite through metal?

Whilst in reality a shark is very unlikely to take a bite out of a cage - a metal box is unlikely to seem like an appealing meal, any person who gets into one will want to make absolutely sure that even if a curious young shark does decide to take clamp it's razor sharp teeth into the cage the metal is strong enough to ...

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How painful is a shark bite?

What does a shark attack feel like? While each survivor describes the experience differently, a common description from shark attack survivors is the attack feels similar to being punched or bumped. Some survivors have even recounted no pain at all!

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Can a human beat a chimp?

A chimp would win a fight against a human. Although chimps and humans are carnivores with formidable fighting abilities, a chimp is far more aggressive and violent than a person. The ideal plan is to run as fast and as far as possible.

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Are humans the strongest animal?

The strongest land animal in the world is the elephant. The typical Asian elephant has 100,000 muscles and tendons arranged along the length of the trunk, enabling it to lift almost 800 pounds. The gorilla, the strongest as well as largest primate on the planet, is at least six times stronger than the average human.

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How hard can a gorilla punch?

How hard can a gorilla punch? It is believed that a gorilla punch is strong enough to shatter your skull with one slam of its arm:/Between 1300 to 2700 pounds of force. Gorillas on (avg. 400 lbs) have a muscle mass density almost 4 times higher than the most heavily muscled powerful human you know.

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Are humans the deadliest bite?

Human bites are often more dangerous than animal bites because the human mouth has more bacteria in it than most animals' mouths. It is very easy for a human bite to become infected.

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Why are human bites so strong?

Human bites can be as dangerous as or even more dangerous than animal bites because of the types of bacteria and viruses contained in the human mouth.

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What was the bite force of the T Rex?

rex—about 35,000 newtons— or to the puny biting power of humans: 300 newtons. Previous bite force estimates for juvenile T. rexes—based on reconstruction of the jaw muscles or from mathematically scaling down the bite force of adult T. rexes—were considerably less, about 4,000 newtons.

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