Bite Force Quotient
ADDPMP768
The BFQ was first applied in a 2005 paper comparing bite forces, body masses and prey size in a range of living and extinct mammalian carnivores, later expanded in 2007. The authors predicted bite forces using beam theory, based on the directly proportional relationship between muscle cross-sectional area and the maximal force muscles can generate. Because body mass is proportional to volume, the relationship between bite force and body mass is allometric. All else being equal, it would be expected to follow a 2/3 power rule. Consequently, small species would be expected to bite harder for their size than large species if a simple ratio of bite force to body mass is used, resulting in bias. Applying the BFQ normalises the data allowing for a fair comparison between species of different sizes. In short, if an animal or species has a high BFQ this indicates that it bites hard for its size after controlling for allometry.
Results showed predators that take relatively large prey have large bite forces for their size:
Aardwolf: 77
European badger: 109
Asiatic black bear: 44
American black bear: 64
Brown bear: 78
Domestic cat: 67
Cheetah: 119
Cougar: 108
Coyote: 88
Dhole: 132
Dingo: 69
African wild dog: 142
Domestic dog: 114

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































