Shark bites are 'wimpy', scientists claim in new study

Shark bites are 'wimpy', scientists claim in new study

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 10:29 AM on 31st December 2008

They have gained notoriety over the years but now scientists have taken the edge off the shark's fearsome reputation with a new study that claims they have 'wimpy' bites.

A team of researchers found that while the feared species can crunch through their prey with their very sharp teeth, their actual bite is wimpy for their size.

'Pound for pound, sharks don't bite all that hard,' Daniel Huber of the University of Tampa in Florida, who led the study, said.


Shark attack: But a shark's bite is 'wimpy', according to scientists

Dr Huber and the team studied ten different shark species and measured the bites of small sharks such as sand sharks.

They tested larger sharks by knocking them out and using electricity to stimulate the jaw muscles.

They found sharks can do a lot of damage simply because their teeth are so sharp and their jaws are so wide.

'Our analysis showed that large sharks do not bite hard for their body size, but they generally have larger heads,' they wrote in their report, published in the journal - Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.

Their studies of shark jaws show that lions or tigers win hands down when it comes to jaw strength - but sharks prevail in the water because of their wide jaw size.

A 20ft (6-metre) great white shark can 'bite through anything that you come across,' the team added, while many must use a sawing motion to break apart their prey.

Mammals have evolved much more efficient jaw muscles, Huber noted.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1103385/Shark-bites-wimpy-scientists-claim-new-study.html