Great White Shark May Not Kill with Brute Force

From MSNBC.com: Science:

A digital rendering of a great white shark's maw could lead to the first accurate estimate of the power behind a full-force bite. The shark's ability to inflict killer damage on anything it grabs, however, probably is due to saw-like teeth and not the amount of bite force, the study researchers say. Once a great white clamps down on a prey with its razor-sharp teeth, the shark often shakes the catch from side to side to initiate a sawing action. Daniel Huber, a biologist at the University of Tampa in Florida, examined an eight-foot (2.4-meter) great white shark that had died after becoming entangled in nets off the coast of Australia. Huber and his colleagues dissected the shark's head and took several measurements, including the size and placement of the jaw muscles.

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