Bite Force of a Liger

A liger has an enormous and one of the most potent bite force among the big cats. The reason being; a liger has gigantic head structure, huge jaws with integration of strong muscles within them. All of these major attributes within the mouth of the liger are responsible for creating a massive bite force that is much more lethal and stronger than many other big cats. Furthermore; a liger has the longest and strongest canine teeth of all the big cats which are also responsible for this big cat to generate a massive bite force. But how much is this bite force of a liger in terms of its measurement? According to National Geographic’s program “The Super Cat” a liger has a bite force of more than 900 pounds at the tips of its canine teeth. They measured the bite force of the liger at a very famous animal safari park i.e., Myrtle Beach Safari.

Lions and tigers on the other hand have a bite force of around 400 pounds at the tips of their canine teeth. It is believed that tigers usually have a marginally stronger bite force as compared to the lions. But the bite forces of both lions and tigers are not even half the bite force of a liger. But do ligers have the biggest bite force within the big cat family? Very surprisingly; there is another big cat which even has a greater bite force than a liger and its name is jaguar. According to the estimates; a jaguar has a bite force of more than 1200 pounds at the tip of its canine teeth. Jaguars are known to kill big preys and even caimans as well.

The example of a jaguar having the highest degree of bite force as compared to a liger shows us that the size of a skull, jaws and a huge body structure may not possibly mean a bigger bite force for a big cat. The arrangement of the muscles within the jaws and the structure of the jaws can also make a huge impact in generating a huge amount of bite force as well. Another animal belonging to canine family of mammals that have a huge bite force is a Hyena. It is believed that Hyenas have 3 times the bite force of a lion or a tiger. Since Hyenas don’t have huge jaws like lions and tigers yet still their muscle arrangement within the jaw structure generate a bite force of almost 1200 pounds. A cheetah on the other hand has a very weak bite force and that’s why it usually hunts smaller preys.

Still with 900 pounds of a bite force, a liger possesses one of the most potent bite forces within the animal kingdom. But does it have any advantage for the liger? The advantage seems to be under-utilized for the liger because all the liger are currently living in captivity and there they don’t have to hunt, take territorial control or fight with any rival male. However; if a liger will ever live in African Savannah; the advantage will always be at the liger’s end. The strength of a liger, its huge size and weight along with 900 pounds of a bite force will be enough to take down any large prey such as African Buffalo and that too single handedly on its own without any help of the lionesses. Furthermore; not even a coalition of male lions will be any match to topple the strength of a liger but rather a liger may put them down very easily on its own with its massive power and strength while its bite force will serve as a killer bite against them.

Does it mean that a liger is more lethal and dangerous big cat than any other due to its massive bite force? Remember whenever a big cat attacks; usually its deadly weapon is the bite force and the same is true about the liger. According to Dr. Bhagavan Antle who has more than 30 years of experience with big cats, ligers have mild personality as compared to lions which are generally more aggressive. Yet still ligers are a big cat and any direct contact with them without following the proper safety protocol can be highly dangerous and life threatening. So; far we have recorded one instant of a liger killing one of its keeper which happened in Oklahoma. A liger named as Rocky killed a zoo keeper named as Peter Getz. The keeper entered the cage of the liger to feed him without following any safety and security procedure and paid the price. Remember ligers are twice bigger than a lion or a tiger with a bite force also twice more than them, therefore; even a mere aggressive attack of a liger can be very deadly indeed.