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The Force of an Alligator's Bite

A giant alligator sculpture foregrounds a cityscape.

Have you ever wondered just how powerful an alligator's chomps really are? New research will save you the pain of finding out through first-HAND experience!

Gator Bait

A scientist and his crew enticed hungry alligators and crocodiles with a pole specially designed for measuring bite force. One of the difficulties the team encountered was getting the creatures to chomp down like they really meant it, despite the fact that the pole was clearly not edible. And it was no easy task keeping the researchers' limbs, clearly more edible, out of harm's way.

The research team found that the force of a 12-foot alligator's bite is equal in pressure to the weight of a small pick-up truck!

So, leave this and other dire-scenario experiments to the experts. Because if the gator's magnificent teeth sink into your hand instead of your pole, escape is as likely as being able to lift a truck up above you. In other words, "See you later, alligator!"

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