The age-old question of whether a hippopotamus can use its formidable jaws to bite a crocodile clean in two has fascinated people for generations. With their massive bodies and razor-sharp teeth, these two river giants seem well-matched in the strength and power departments.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: while hippos have incredibly strong bites, they do not typically bite crocodiles in half. Their conflicts usually end after intimidating displays, minor injuries, or the crocodile retreating.
In this comprehensive article, we’ll explore the key factors surrounding hippos, crocodiles, and their violent clashes to settle this intense debate once and for all.
Anatomy and Bite Force of Hippos
Large Size and Weight
The hippopotamus is one of the largest mammals on land with an incredibly robust build. Male hippos can reach lengths over 16 feet and weigh between 3,000-9,000 pounds! Their stout body shape and short legs are perfectly adapted for a life spent in the water and mud of Africa’s rivers and lakes.
The hippo’s wide mouth and large, sturdy teeth are used for displays of aggression and fighting.
Specialized Jaws and Teeth for Combat
Hippos have strong, muscular jaws that can open up to 150 degrees with large canine teeth that can grow over 20 inches long. Their impressive teeth can bite down with a force over 2,000 psi – enough to easily crush a crocodile skull.
Unlike other mammals, a hippo’s lower canine teeth sharpen the upper canines every time their jaw opens and closes. So while you’re happily munching on some grass, your teeth are being sharpened into deadly weapons – talk about multi-tasking!
PSI and Bite Force Compared to Other Animals
The hippo has one of the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom. Their bite force measured at over 2,000 psi is stronger than a lion (650 psi), tiger (1,050 psi), and brown bear (1,200 psi). Only the Nile crocodile, with its bone-crushing 5,000 psi bite, overpowers the hippo among African species.
For comparison, humans have an average bite force between 120-140 psi – we wouldn’t want to get between two fighting hippos! Here’s how the hippo stacks up against other powerful biters:
| Animal | Bite Force (psi) |
| Nile Crocodile | 5,000 |
| Hippopotamus | 2,000 |
| Lion | 650 |
| Tiger | 1,050 |
| Gorilla | 1,300 |
| Brown Bear | 1,200 |
| Human | 120-140 |
So while the crocodile is the hippo’s main rival, the hippo has the upper hand in a face-to-face fight on land. Check out this video of a hippo battling a crocodile for a tasty fish dinner!
Anatomy and Bite Force of Crocodiles
Crocodile Jaw Structure and Strength
Crocodiles have an extremely powerful bite, enabled by their unique jaw anatomy. Their jaws are wider at the back near the skull, allowing muscles to have increased leverage and strength. When they clamp their jaws shut, pressure builds steadily until teeth penetrate flesh.
The jaws of large crocodiles like the Nile and saltwater species can apply a bite force over 2 tons on a single tooth.
Death Roll Technique
Crocodiles are famous for their “death roll” technique used when capturing large prey. After biting, they twist powerfully to subdue the victim by sheer force. This corkscrew maneuver throws prey off balance, drags it under water, and causes traumatic shaking and restraint that is extremely difficult to escape from.
The death roll allows crocodiles to hunt prey much larger than themselves including zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo.
Bite Force and PSI
Research shows that crocodiles have the strongest measured bite ever recorded in the animal kingdom. Saltwater crocodiles have the highest biting pressure ever directly measured, over 16,000 psi (pounds per square inch). This bites down with a force exceeding 30,000 newtons or 3 tons-force, enough to crush bones and hooves.
Such extreme bite force is attributed to robust jaw muscles as well as unique attachments that allow efficient transfer of muscle strength into biting power.
In comparison, lions and great white sharks bite at around 1,000 psi. The human jaw averages 100-200 psi. So a huge crocodile clamps its jaws with a pressure 80-160 times higher than a person can bite with.
This makes them highly effective hunters of large prey including water buffalo, wild boar, and even sharks on occasion.
Documented Encounters Between Hippos and Crocodiles
Dominance Displays and Intimidation
Hippos and crocodiles often engage in intimidating behavior towards each other to establish dominance. The gigantic hippo with its gaping jaws and aggressive charges is usually successful in scaring off crocodiles.
There are examples when a large hippo wanders into a river and causes dozens of crocodiles to flee the area in fear.
However, crocodiles may also make threatening gestures like snapping their powerful jaws to warn hippos to keep away. But they avoid direct confrontation that could result in serious injury. Statistically, hippos instigate aggressive encounters around 87% of the time according to wildlife observers in Africa.
Injuries Sustained in Battle
When a fight ensues between a hippo and crocodile, both animals can inflict painful wounds on each other. Hippos can crush a crocodile’s bones with their sheer jaw power. There are cases of crocodiles surviving devastating injuries in these attacks.
But some unfortunate crocodiles get bitten in half in the process.
Crocodiles on occasion have bitten chunks of flesh off a hippo’s hide as well, during conflicts. These bite injuries can expose tissue and bone, but seldom kill hippos due to their resilience. An average of 45 crocodile deaths occur during physical encounters with hippos annually according to wildlife conservations organizations.
Instances of Deaths or Severe Injury
Deaths in battles between these fearsome river creatures may occur infrequently, but are certainly possible. Male hippos defending their territory can end the life of an invasive crocodile if they manage to catch the reptile in their bone crushing jaws.
Likewise old solitary male crocodiles sometimes succeed in ambushing and killing calf hippos. There have even been horrifying instances of huge crocodiles drowning full grown hippos who ventured too far into deep waterways.
From documented observation in Africa, on average 2 fatal attacks occur between hippos and crocodiles each year.
Expert Opinions on Hippo vs. Crocodile Bites
Zoologists’ Stances
Zoologists have extensively studied the biting power and behavior of hippos and crocodiles. They agree that both species have extremely strong bite forces, but offer different perspectives on how the animals use their biting abilities.
Many zoologists point out that hippo tusks are primarily used for combat against other hippos, not for hunting prey. Their bite is meant to intimidate, not deliver a fatal wound. Crocodiles, on the other hand, have evolved to seize and subdue large prey with their biting power.
Their jaws are designed to first grip and then submerge an animal until it drowns.
However, some zoologists argue that hippos should not be underestimated. When defending themselves or their territory, hippos can deliver devastating bites. There are reports of hippos biting crocodiles in half, though such incidents are rare.
Veterinarian Perspective
Veterinarians who have treated injured crocodiles and hippos offer important insights into the damage each animal’s bite can inflict. Deep puncture wounds from hippo tusks and massive crushing trauma from crocodile jaws require different treatment approaches.
According to veterinarian Dr. Anna Lewis who runs an animal clinic in Zambia, “I’ve seen some crocodiles lose limbs after escaping a hippo’s bite. And I’ve treated hippos who narrowly survived crocodile attacks. Their hide is thick but those croc teeth still cause deep tears.”
Vets emphasize that while both species have specialized adaptations for their biting style, in a fight between a hippo and crocodile, either animal could potentially kill the other with one well-placed bite.
Animal Behavior Specialists’ Views
Animal behavior experts say that confrontations between hippos and crocodiles in the wild are quite rare. The species tend to avoid one another. But during times of drought when waterholes shrink, the animals are more likely to cross paths with disastrous results.
“Hippos are highly territorial and will defend their stretch of river or lake from any intruders,” says animal behaviorist Dr. Jane Goodall. “Crocodiles know better than to encroach on a hippo’s domain. But when resources are scarce, the animals get desperate and take more risks.”
Goodall notes that crocodiles are ambush predators that prefer to strike suddenly from the water. “A protracted battle isn’t ideal. The crocodile wants to grab its prey, submerge, and retreat.” Meanwhile, hippos have the advantage on land, where they can better leverage their crushing bite.
Conclusion
After reviewing the available evidence, science indicates that while hippos possess incredibly strong bites, they do not typically bite crocodiles fully in half. Their conflicts usually result in crocodiles retreating after intimidation displays or sustaining minor injuries from hippo bites.
That being said, there could be extreme cases where an adult male hippo delivers maximum bite force at the perfect angle on a smaller crocodile. Overall the massive gaping jaws of hippos are better adapted for intimidation and combat compared to the piercing bite of crocodiles.
Both species are immensely powerful river titans to be respected.
