Bull Shark Bite Strongest of all Shark Species

Bull sharks have the strongest bite of all shark species, reveals a new study.

A team of international researchers led by Maria Habegger of the University of South Florida examined the bite forces of 13 shark species and their relatives.

They tested the species ranging from a small ratfish (relative of the sharks) to large sharks like the great white sharks, hammerhead sharks and the bull sharks, reported the BBC.

Stronger bite forces are expected in marine animals that are relatively larger in size. Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas ) can grow between 7 and 11.5 ft in size. Large predators like the bull sharks consume prey like dolphins and other sharks. They need strong bite forces to feed on their prey.

However, experts noticed that small relatives of sharks also have high bite forces as they need to crush hard shells of their prey.

Experts dissected the specimens of 13 shark species. They studied the jaw muscles and estimated the force that the muscles exert while closing their jaw. Using mathematical methods they removed the effect of the sharks' body size to compare the larger species with the smaller ones and calculate the bite force of all the species, the BBC report said.

They found that the bull shark's bite is the highest bite of any shark. They generated extremely high bite forces of 5900 N at the back of the jaw and 2128 N at the front teeth.

These values are the highest ever reported in existing vertebrates. Bull shark bite is more powerful than the bite force released by other sharks like the great hammerhead and the white shark.

"What this study shows is that pound per pound bull sharks have the largest bite force value among all studied sharks," the BBC quoted Habegger as saying.

"Bull sharks can bite harder than a great white shark and great hammerhead," she said.

Experts noticed that the smaller bull sharks have powerful bites than the larger ones. This could possibly because the young ones get access to functionally difficult prey earlier in life.

What is not clear is that why the sharks have powerful bites than required to feed on their prey.  Experts think that bull sharks' habitat might be the reason. Bull sharks live in murky waters where visibility is low. 

These sharks may exert powerful bites to hold their meal strongly and avoid losing it.

The findings of the study, "Feeding biomechanics andtheoretical calculations of bite force in bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas)during ontogeny," are published in the journal Zoology.