What does it actually feel like to be bitten by a shark?
Gigantic animals, like a great white shark — or even Tyrannosaurus Rex — are considered apex predators. Their jaws are their weapons, and their bite force is measured in Newtons (or lbf — pounds force). When we say that a megalodon, for example, had an estimated bite force of 25,000 lbf, what does that actually mean?
To put it in terms we can relate to, it’s better to think in terms of objects we see in real life.
For example, for an animal unfortunate enough to have been caught in the jaws of T Rex, its bite would have felt like being crushed by a hippopotamus. And that sounds terrible.
This graphic puts things into perspective, comparing the bite force of 20 different animals, ranging from sharks, to dogs, to humans. Here’s hoping you don’t encounter a polar bear anytime soon!
