Still, Erickson believes that, like Deinosuchus, Sarcosuchus was generating a bite force of 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg), a number that his team estimated by scaling up the data from extant crocodilians.

Researchers have used a number of methods, from direct measurement to computer software modeling, to estimate the forces at work in nature’s bite club. Expressed as PSI (pound-force per square ...