Jaw shape trades off between bite force and bite speed
Evidence
Cats and hyenas each sacrifice jaw speed in favor of jaw strength, with squat faces and canine teeth migrating relatively closer to the hinge. Here it helps to think of a nutcracker, or a pair of pliers: the closer an object is placed to the hinge, the more powerful the closing force that can be applied. Wolves, on the other hand, have longer jaws than hyenas or cats. Their canines bite with less force, but what is lost in force they gain in speed. Their canine teeth are situated farther from the hinge of the jaw and, as a result, move faster when the jaw closes. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 125
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Jaw length trades bite force against bite speed across carnivore species.; Hyena jaw geometry trades closing speed for bone-crushing force — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 75
Related
- Jaw length trades bite force against bite speed across carnivore species. (similarity 0.95)
- Hyena jaw geometry trades closing speed for bone-crushing force (similarity 0.93)
- Hyena jaws trade closing speed for crushing power (similarity 0.93)
- Bigger fish jaws create drag that slows prey-catching speed. (similarity 0.82)
- Cat canines are piercing weapons vulnerable to side torque during hunts (similarity 0.81)
- Sabertooths’ massive canines required body changes that made movement awkward. (similarity 0.80)
- Loss of pursuit hunting drives evolution toward heavier jaws and teeth (similarity 0.80)
- One tooth shape cannot both pierce, shear, and crush bone. (similarity 0.80)
- Mammals split teeth into specialized tools for each task (similarity 0.80)