Feeding mechanics and bite force modelling of the skull of Dunkleosteus terrelli, an ancient apex predator
Open accessAbstract
Placoderms are a diverse group of armoured fishes that dominated the aquatic ecosystems of the Devonian Period, 415–360 million years ago. The bladed jaws of predators such as Dunkleosteus suggest that these animals were the first vertebrates to use rapid mouth opening and a powerful bite to capture and fragment evasive prey items prior to ingestion. Here, we develop a biomechanical model of force and motion during feeding in Dunkleosteus terrelli that reveals a highly kinetic skull driven by a unique four-bar linkage mechanism. The linkage system has a high-speed transmission for jaw opening, producing a rapid expansion phase similar to modern fishes that use suction during prey capture. Jaw closing muscles power an extraordinarily strong bite, with an estimated maximal bite force of over 4400 N at the jaw tip and more than 5300 N at the rear dental plates, for a large individual (6 m in total length). This bite force capability is the greatest of all living or fossil fishes and is among the most powerful bites in animals.
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Pressures for some individual crocodilians were as much as 17-fold higher than the highest previously reported for Dunkleosteus.
“Values for all taxa exceeded the highest reported previously (147 MPa [21,321 psi]) for the giant extinct placoderm fish Dunkleosteus [22]), and pressures for some individuals were as much as 17-fold higher (Table 2).”
From Insights into the Ecology and Evolutionary Success of Crocodilians Revealed through Bite-Force and Tooth-Pressure Experimentation (2012) · cites this paper as [22]
Values for all taxa exceeded the highest reported previously (147 MPa) for the giant extinct placoderm fish Dunkleosteus.
“Values for all taxa exceeded the highest reported previously (147 MPa [21,321 psi]) for the giant extinct placoderm fish Dunkleosteus [22]), and pressures for some individuals were as much as 17-fold higher (Table 2).”
From Insights into the Ecology and Evolutionary Success of Crocodilians Revealed through Bite-Force and Tooth-Pressure Experimentation (2012) · cites this paper as [22]
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Erickson, G. M., Gignac, P. M., Steppan, S. J., Lappin, A. K., Vliet, K. A., Brueggen, J. D., Inouye, B. D., Kledzik, D., & Webb, G. J. W. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031781 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
“Values for all taxa exceeded the highest reported previously (147 MPa [21,321 psi]) for the giant extinct placoderm fish Dunkleosteus [22]), and pressures for some individuals were as much as 17-fold higher (Table 2).”
BackgroundPalaeozoic evolution of animal mouthparts
Klug, C., Frey, L., Pohle, A., De Baets, K., & Korn, D. (2017) · Bulletin of Geosciences · doi:10.3140/bull.geosci.1648 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Biomechanics, functional patterns, and disparity in Late Devonian arthrodires
Anderson, P. S. L. (2009) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/0094-8373-35.3.321 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
- Authors
- Anderson, P. S. L., & Westneat, M. W.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- Field Museum of Natural History (US)
- Corresponding author
- Anderson, Philip S.L
- Venue
- Biology Letters
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2006-11-28
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 77-80
- ISSN
- 1744-9561 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-957X
- PMC
- PMC2373817
- OpenAlex
- W2167442353
- Cited by
- 73
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 3.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Biology Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ichthyology and Marine Biology
- Keywords
- Placodermi, feeding mechanics, bite force, skull biomechanics, four-bar linkage, mouth opening, suction feeding, Devonian fishes, top predators, jaw-closing muscles, dental plates
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Biomechanical Phenomena, Bite Force, Feeding Behavior, Fishes, Fossils, Models, Biological, Predatory Behavior, Skull
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