A hyena’s bite is extraordinarily strong for its size—strong enough to crush large bones that many other predators cannot break.

Quick Scoop

  • Spotted hyenas can generate around 1,000–1,100 PSI (pounds per square inch) of bite force, which is roughly 6–7 times the average human bite of about 160 PSI.
  • That pressure lets them crack open thick leg bones to reach marrow, making them famous “bone-crushers” on the African savanna.
  • Their bite is often measured as stronger than a lion’s average bite (about 650–1,000 PSI), even though lions are much larger animals.

How that compares

  • Humans: ~160 PSI – enough for tough food, but nowhere near strong bone-crushing.
  • Lions: ~650–1,000 PSI – powerful, but typically still below a big spotted hyena’s peak.
  • Spotted hyena: ~1,000–1,100 PSI – among the strongest bites of any mammalian carnivore relative to body size.

Why it matters

  • That extreme bite force allows hyenas to:
    • Feed on almost every part of a carcass, including bones.
* Compete with larger predators by efficiently stripping remains that others leave behind.
  • Documented attacks on humans show that their bites can cause severe, sometimes fatal injuries, which is why they are considered dangerous wild animals that should never be approached.

Meta description:
Learn how strong a hyena bite really is, how many PSI it can generate, how it compares to humans and lions, and why its bone-crushing jaws make it one of nature’s most powerful biters.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.