A study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida, United States, on 23 species of living crocodiles, confirmed that the bite of these reptiles is the strongest in the animal kingdom. The results were published in a scientific article in the journal “PLoS ONE.” According to the study’s authors, the bite force was measured, together with the pressure of the teeth, in fully mature adult specimens.
The strongest bite belongs to the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), which generated a bite pressure of 1.6 tons. The saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile on Earth, with specimens reaching seven meters in length and weighing over a ton. These dimensions, together with its swimming ability and ferocity, make it a superpredator for all kinds of animals, including humans.
Its skin shows variable coloration at different developmental stages: yellowish or greenish during growth and becoming dark gray at maturity. Unlike other crocodiles, the head reaches a large volume and the animal has a jaw containing 64 to 68 teeth. As a distinctive feature, there are some bony prominences that extend from the eyes to the snout and are known as crests.