Top 10 Fish with the Strongest Bite in the World

The world is so big that there are all kinds of strange things. Among the seemingly weak fish, there are also "water beasts" with strong bite force and huge lethality. Dunkleosteus, Megalodon, Great White Shark, Bull Shark, Black Piranha, Anti-Sky Knife, Wolffish, Lungfish, etc., 

have become the overlords in the water with their strong bite force. Today, let us take stock of the top ten fish with the strongest bite force in the world and unveil the mystery of these water overlords!

1. Megalodon (bite force 20,000 kg)

Megalodon is a prehistoric giant shark that lived about 28 million to 1.5 million years ago. According to some vertebral fossils that have been discovered, its size is much larger than that of the modern great white shark, with a length of more than 20 meters and a weight of up to 70 tons. Megalodon is considered to be one of the strongest known creatures in the history of the earth. Scientists speculate that its maximum bite force can reach 20 tons, which even exceeds the bite force of Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Megalodon has a powerful jaw that can easily crush the ribs of whales, so it is hailed by many paleontologists as the most powerful marine overlord in the history of the earth.

2. Dunkleosteus (bite force 5000 kg)

Dunkleosteus is a large prehistoric creature that lived in the Devonian period of the Paleozoic Era, about 360 million to 430 million years ago. It can reach a length of 8 meters and weigh about 2 tons. It was one of the top predators in the ocean at that time. It can even bite a shark in half with one bite. Almost no Devonian creature can escape its hunting range.

It is worth mentioning that Dunkleosteus did not have teeth in the traditional sense, but instead had two sharp and irregular bone blades, which could easily cut and crush the bones and armor of prey. Its amazing bite force is said to be far greater than that of Tyrannosaurus Rex, and it can be called the "ultimate predator" in the prehistoric ocean.

3. Lungfish（Hyneria） (bite force 4800 kg)

Lungfish is an ancient fish that lived in the coastal area of the Devonian period. It can be up to 5 meters long and weigh about 2 tons. It is known for its well-developed fins and strong muscles. It was one of the "giants" in the ocean at that time. Although its bite force is not as strong as that of Dunkleosteus of the same period, it is still extremely strong and is the "terminator" of many creatures.

One of the characteristics of lungfish is that it can not only survive in water, but also crawl near the shore to prey on land creatures. This amphibious characteristic made it one of the unrivaled predators in the Devonian period. Although the pectoral shark of the same period was slightly smaller in size, it had no power to fight back in front of the lungfish and was easily swallowed and completely crushed by its powerful jaws.

4. Swordfish（Xiphactinus） (bite force 4300 kg)

Swordfish is a large predatory bony fish that lived in the Western Interior Seaway during the Upper Cretaceous period, which overlapped with the dinosaur era. It is known for its sharp teeth and powerful tail. The length of its teeth can reach 30 cm, comparable to a sharp steel knife, making it an excellent pursuit hunter.

With such a "weapon combination", the swordfish has amazing bite force, which can easily capture and tear large prey. It can even swallow large fish up to 2 meters long, worthy of its title of "top hunter" in the ancient ocean.

5. Great White Shark (bite force 1800 kg)

The great white shark is famous for its huge bloody mouth and extremely sharp teeth. Its upper jaw is lined with 26 sharp serrated fangs with barbs on the back of the teeth. Once it bites the prey, it is almost impossible to break free. Once the front row of teeth fall off, the spare teeth in the back row will quickly fill in, ensuring that the great white shark always maintains a "full tooth array". In fact, at any time, about one-third of the teeth of the great white shark are in a state of replacement.

According to scientists, the maximum bite force of the great white shark can be as high as 1,800 kilograms. During the predation process, whether it is other marine life, large mammals that are unfortunately encountered, or even humans, they may become targets of attack.

6. Bull shark (bite force 590 kilograms)

Although the bull shark is relatively small in the shark family, they have a physique as strong as a bull. According to the research of Habegg, a researcher at the University of South Florida, the bull shark can generate a bite force of up to 1,300 pounds (about 590 kilograms) when biting with its strong jaws and chin muscles. 

Although bull sharks sometimes appear docile and harmless, they can also become excited in an instant, showing extremely high aggressiveness and violently attacking any living creature, making them deadly hunters in the ocean.

7. Prehistoric giant piranha (bite force 484 kg)

Prehistoric giant piranhas mainly lived in the Miocene period about 5 million years ago. Their body length could reach 70 cm and their weight was about 10 kg. 

According to relevant research reports in the American journal Science, this prehistoric behemoth has extremely strong jaw bite force, equivalent to the bite force of a 400 kg great white shark, and its bite force ranges from 1240 to 4749 Newtons, about 484 kg. It can be said that this prehistoric piranha is one of the piranha species with the strongest bite force known on Earth, and can be called the top predator in ancient waters.

8. Bering wolffish（Anarhichas orientalis） (bite force 125 kg)

The Bering wolffish has a wide jaw and two rows of sharp teeth, of which the eight huge incisors can be up to half an inch long. Although this powerful "weapon" is not used to attack humans, it is a weapon for preying on marine life such as sea urchins, starfish, shrimps and lobsters. Although the Bering wolffish does not seem to be very aggressive, its bite force should not be underestimated. 

In particular, when male Bering wolffish compete for mates, they will bite the other party with their teeth, just like a nail firmly nailed to a wooden board. It has been observed that each male Bering wolffish usually only experiences such a fierce contest once in his life.

9. Black Piranha (Bite force 72 kg)

Black Piranha has gradually become one of the must-have fish for aquarium enthusiasts to learn about S-type Piranha due to its blood-red eyes, sturdy body and terrifying reputation. This fish is as strong as an ox, has strong adaptability and amazing recovery ability. 

Its well-developed jaw muscles can make its bite force reach more than 30 times its own body weight, which is a miracle in nature. In comparison, even the great white shark, coyote and alligator, which are famous for their strong bite force, are far inferior to the bite force of the black piranha in terms of size and weight ratio.

10. Anti-Sky Swordfish（Gymnarchus niloticus） (bite force 40 kg)

Due to its fierce character and strong sense of territory, the anti-Sky Swordfish is often kept in an ornamental fish tank, but it almost does not allow other fish to share its habitat. 

Some enthusiasts have tried to mix anti-Sky Swordfish with fish of similar size, such as pig-nosed turtles, warship fish, and dragon fish, but the results are often unsatisfactory - the anti-Sky Swordfish will use its powerful jaws to bite the tail of the pig-nosed turtle, as well as the body of the warship fish and dragon fish, and some fish will even be left with only skeletons. Therefore, the anti-Sky Swordfish is called the "water shearing machine" with its amazing bite force, which is well deserved.

The ranking of the top ten fish with the strongest bite force in the world is mainly based on the actual bite strength of prehistoric and modern fish. The list is for reference only. If you have any questions, please leave a comment at the end.

animal tags： Piranha Great White Shark Dunkleosteus Megalodon