Sarah McPherson asks Which big cat has the strongest bite and just how deadly is that bite for humans?:
The jaguar has the strongest bite of any big cat relative to its size. Research by Adam Hartstone-Rose and colleagues at the University of South Carolina, who compared the bite forces of nine different cat species, reveals that a jaguar’s bite force is only three-quarters as strong as a tiger’s bite force.
However, given that jaguars are considerably smaller (the body mass of the individual in the study was only half that of the tiger), relatively speaking their bite is stronger.
“If you had to choose, you’d want to be bitten by a jaguar, not a lion or a tiger. But pound for pound, jaguars pack a stronger punch,” says Adam.
See Sara McPherson, Which big cat has the strongest bite AND just how deadly is that bite for humans?, BBC Wildlife, July 2, 2026.
Best not to let any big cat bite you, all things considered.