10 Strongest Animals on Earth (With Pictures)

The animal kingdom has an incredible diversity of different animals and organisms that come in all shapes, sizes, colors and patterns. Animals have traits that make them remarkable and different from one other. One of those traits that some animals possess is sheer strength, which tends to fascinate us. In this article, we will be introducing some of the strongest animals in the world.

Perhaps one of the reasons we are often intrigued by these animals is due to the potential danger factor. While humans have been at the top of the food chain with the access to technological advances for hundreds of years now, people always seem the most intrigued by the animals that have the potential to put them in their place.

10 Strongest Animals

1. Saltwater crocodile

• Scientific name: Crocodylus porosus
• Range: Northern Australia, Southeast Asia and eastern India

The Saltwater crocodile is the largest living reptile in the world, growing to be up to 21 feet long and over 2,000 pounds! So, it’s no wonder that these giants have super strength.

While they are likely strong in many ways, what they are known for is their incredible bite strength. Saltwater crocodiles have been recorded to be able to apply 3,700 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi) but it is thought that this number could actually be close to 5,000 psi.

2. Gorilla

• Scientific name: Gorilla spp.
• Range: Western sub-saharan and central Africa

From just looking at a Gorilla, it is no surprise that they make this list. They are known for pounding on their chest with heavy fists when agitated and they certainly have the strength to back up the attitude.

It is hypothesized that a gorilla can lift 10 times their own body weight, in comparison, the average man can lift 0.75-1.5 times their body weight. In the Guinness book of World Records, there was a gorilla that lifted 1800 pounds!

3. Hippo

• Scientific name: Hippopotamus amphibius
• Range: Occurs in pockets throughout all of Subsaharan Africa

While they might appear as a rather round and lazy animal, hippos have an incredible amount of strength and are quite agile. They are actually one of the most dangerous animals in Africa.

Hippos have an incredible amount of bite force and can apply a whopping 1,800 pounds per square inch of force in a bite. This paired with their aggressive and territorial nature make them capable of seriously injuring or even killing animals (or humans) that cross their path.

4. Green anaconda

• Scientific name: Eunectes murinus
• Range: South America east of the Andes mountain range

Anacondas, boas and pythons are all considered constrictors as they constrict or squeeze their prey. Green anacondas definitely have the strongest squeeze force that they use to subdue their prey. Green anacondas can apply 90 pounds of pressure per square inch.

To put things in perspective, this is about 30 times the amount of force that a human can apply by squeezing their hand and is equivalent to what it would feel like if a school bus was sitting on your chest.

5. Jaguar

• Scientific name: Panthera onca
• Range: South and central America

Jaguars are the strongest cats in proportion to their body size of any of the other big cats. They are the largest big cats native to the western hemisphere but still smaller than their relatives in Africa and Asia.

Jaguars have an incredibly strong bite (1,500 psi) and have a paw swipe force of over 500 pounds! This incredible strength allows them to take down other apex predators like crocodiles, and a single swipe from a jaguar is certainly capable of breaking bones.

6. African Elephant

• Scientific name: Loxodonta spp.
• Range: Subsaharan Africa

African elephants truly are gentle giants with an incredible amount of strength. African elephants can lift nearly 800 pounds using only their trunk. Elephants can also support up to a ton on their back.

Their super strength is one of the reasons why elephants have been used for working animals in logging, farming, and even construction. Not only do they have incredible body strength, they also have a very strong bite and can apply nearly 2,200 pounds of pressure per square inch.

7. Dung beetle

• Scientific name: Belongs to the superfamily Scarabaeiformia (made up of over 5,000 species)
• Range: Found on all continents excluding Antarctica

While you might not think of an insect when you think of strength, dung beetles are incredibly strong in relation to their body size. The horned dung beetle is capable of pulling up to 1141 times its own body weight.

This is comparable to a single person pulling two 18-wheeler trucks at once! This allows for these small insects to push around the dung of animals much, much larger than them.

8. Grizzly Bear

• Scientific name: Ursus arctos horribilis
• Range: Alaska, Western Canada, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

It’s no surprise that the Grizzly bear makes this list. These large predators are one of the largest land mammals to inhabit the United States growing to be nearly 1,000 pounds in some cases.

Grizzly bears can deliver a bite that is nearly 800 psi and swipe their paw with a force that is also close to 800 psi. One swipe from a grizzly could certainly be deadly.

9. Tiger

• Scientific name: Panthera tigris
• Range: Sparsely distributed throughout much of Asia and Southeast Asia

Tigers are the largest living cat species on earth so it’s no wonder that they make this list. They are equipped with strong, powerful jaws and enormous paws.

They can exert over 1,000 pounds of pressure in a bite which they use to deliver a fatal bite to their prey when they take them by surprise. They are also capable of using their large paws backed by their muscular feet to swipe with great force.

10. Leafcutter ant

• Scientific name: Acromyrmex spp.
• Range: South and central America

Don’t let the small size of the leafcutter ant fool you, like dung beetles, these impressive insects are also incredibly strong! Leafcutter ants have strong mandibles which they use to shred pieces of leaves to bring back to their nest to farm a special fungus off of.

The pieces that these ants cut off can weigh up to 50 times their body mass, making them one of the strongest animals in the world proportionate to their body size!