Malayan Tigers Can Exert Bite Forces Strong Enough to Crush Large Bones

A Malayan tiger’s jaws can crush large ungulate bones with lethal efficiency.

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Tigers typically kill prey with a bite to the throat or back of the neck.

Like other tiger subspecies, the Malayan tiger possesses powerful jaw muscles and enlarged canine teeth adapted for delivering fatal neck bites. Their bite force is sufficient to penetrate thick hide and bone of large prey species. This anatomical specialization enables rapid kills, reducing injury risk during hunts. Precision targeting of the cervical vertebrae often ends struggle quickly. The combination of jaw strength and retractable claws makes them formidable apex predators. Such biomechanical power evolved over millions of years in competitive ecosystems. It represents the pinnacle of carnivorous adaptation in Southeast Asia.

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Crushing bite force ensures energy-efficient predation. By ending hunts swiftly, tigers minimize exposure to retaliatory kicks or horn strikes. Efficiency conserves calories critical for survival in prey-variable landscapes.

Yet despite evolutionary refinement, this strength cannot counteract modern threats. A predator capable of crushing bone can be neutralized by a steel cable or bullet. The contrast between natural power and human technology underscores the fragility of apex dominance.

Source

Smithsonian National Zoo Tiger Profile

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