When it comes to the fish with the greatest bite force, most of us will automatically think of great white sharks, the ocean's ultimate predator. However, pound for pound that's not the case...
Think the great white shark has the most powerful bite of all fish? Think again. Pound for pound, the tiny black piranha bites harder than any shark on Earth.
While a great white can crush prey with a jaw force of around 4,000 pounds, the black piranha’s bite is 30 times stronger than its own body weight – a jaw-dropping feat no predator, living or extinct, can match. Its razor-edged teeth and powerhouse jaw muscles make it a real-life 'bite-sized' monster.
When it comes to bite strength, few fish can compete with the black piranha and its extinct relative, the giant “megapiranha.” According to a 2012 study published in Scientific Reports, these carnivorous fish have some of the most powerful bites ever recorded – even when body size is taken into account.
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The study, Mega-Bites: Extreme Jaw Forces of Living and Extinct Piranhas, explores how the unique jaw structure of piranhas allows them to tear through the flesh and fins of animals much larger than themselves.
They found black piranhas bite with a force more than 30 times its body weight. This incredible strength comes from its massive jaw muscles and a specialised jaw lever system that maximises power.
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