Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/14841
Title: | Three-dimensional computer analysis of white shark jaw mechanics: how hard can a great white bite? | Contributor(s): | Wroe, Stephen (author) ; Huber, D R (author); Lowry, M (author); McHenry, C (author); Moreno, K (author); Clausen, P (author); Ferrara, T L (author) | Publication Date: | 2008 | DOI: | 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00494.x | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/14841 | Abstract: | The notorious jaws of the white shark 'Carcharodon carcharias' are widely feared, yet poorly understood. Neither its bite force, nor how such force might be delivered using relatively elastic cartilaginous jaws, have been quantified or described. We have digitally reconstructed the jaws of a white shark to estimate maximum bite force and examine relationships among their three-dimensional geometry, material properties and function. We predict that bite force in large white sharks may exceed c. 1.8 tonnes, the highest known for any living species, and suggest that forces may have been an order of magnitude greater still in the gigantic fossil species 'Carcharodon megalodon'. However, jaw adductor-generated force in 'Carcharodon' appears unremarkable when the predator's body mass is considered. Although the shark's cartilaginous jaws undergo considerably greater deformation than would jaws constructed of bone, effective bite force is not greatly diminished. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Journal of Zoology, 276(4), p. 336-342 | Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd | Place of Publication: | United Kingdom | ISSN: | 1469-7998 0952-8369 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060807 Animal Structure and Function | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Environmental and Rural Science |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format |
---|
SCOPUSTM
Citations
112
checked on Sep 21, 2024
Page view(s)
1,402
checked on Dec 3, 2023
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.