{{short description|Behaviour of opening and closing the jaw found in many animals}} {{redirect|Bite}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}} [[File:Lion Biting Brother's Tail (21277465378).jpg|thumb|A lion biting another lion's tail as play behavior.]] '''Biting''' is an action involving a set of teeth closing down on an object.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NDM5MTEzNg==?q=biting |access-date=25 April 2024 |website=Credo Reference|title=Search|url-access=registration}}</ref> It is a common zoological behavior, being found in toothed animals such as mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and arthropods.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Biting is also an action humans participate in, most commonly when chewing food.<ref name=":0" /> Myocytic contraction of the muscles of mastication is responsible for generating the force that initiates the preparatory jaw abduction (opening), then rapidly adducts (closes) the jaw and moves the top and bottom teeth towards each other, resulting in the forceful action of a bite.<ref name="auto1">{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jbiomech.2010.09.028 |pmid=21129747 |title=Mechanics of biting in great white and sandtiger sharks |journal=Journal of Biomechanics |volume=44 |issue=3 |pages=430–435 |year=2011 |last1=Ferrara |first1=T.L. |last2=Clausen |first2=P. |last3=Huber |first3=D.R. |last4=McHenry |first4=C.R. |last5=Peddemors |first5=V. |last6=Wroe |first6=S. }}</ref> Biting is one of the main functions in the lives of larger organisms, providing them the ability to forage, hunt, eat, build, play, fight, protect, and much more.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Biting may be a form of physical aggression due to predatory or territorial intentions.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} In animals, biting can also be a normal activity, being used for eating, scratching, carrying objects, preparing food for young, removing ectoparasites or irritating foreign objects, and social grooming.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Humans can have the tendency to bite each other whether they are children or adults.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |url=https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NTc3NDU4?q=behavior%20of%20biting%20in%20adult%20humans |access-date=25 April 2024 |website=Credo Reference|title=Search|url-access=registration}}</ref>
Bites often result in serious puncture wounds, avulsion injuries, fractures, hemorrhages, infections, envenomation, and death.<ref name=Cherry2014>{{cite book | last = Cherry | first = James | title = Feigin and Cherry's textbook of pediatric infectious diseases – Animal and Human Bites, Morven S. Edwards |publisher = Elsevier/Saunders |location = Philadelphia, PA |year = 2014 |isbn = 978-1-4557-1177-2|postscript=; Access provided by the University of Pittsburgh}}</ref> In modern human societies, dog bites are the most common type of bite, with children being the most common victims and faces being the most common target.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html |title= Dog Bite Statistics |author= Kenneth M. Phillips |date= 27 December 2009 |access-date= 6 August 2010 |url-status= live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921105848/http://dogbitelaw.com/PAGES/statistics.html |archive-date= 21 September 2010 }}</ref> Some other species that may bite humans include urban animals such as feral cats, spiders, and snakes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Other common bites to humans are inflicted by hematophagous insects and arthropods, such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, bedbugs, and ticks (whose "bites" are actually a form of stinging rather than true biting).{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}
==Types of teeth== thumb|Teeth of a lion, showcasing the front canines, middle carnassials, and back molars The types of teeth that organisms use to bite vary throughout the animal kingdom. Different types of teeth are seen in herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores as they are adapted over many years to better fit their diets. Carnivores possess canine, carnassial, and molar teeth, while herbivores are equipped with incisor teeth and wide-back molars.<ref name="auto">Animal Teeth | Types of Teeth | DK Find Out. (2018). Retrieved 28 October 2018, from https://www.dkfindout.com/us/animals-and-nature/food-chains/types-teeth/</ref> In general, tooth shape has traditionally been used to predict dieting habits.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1098/rsfs.2015.0109 |pmid=27274799 |pmc=4843622 |title=Cutting food in terrestrial carnivores and herbivores |journal=Interface Focus |volume=6 |issue=3 |article-number=20150109 |year=2016 |last1=Sanson |first1=Gordon }}</ref> Carnivores have long, extremely sharp teeth for both gripping prey and cutting meat into chunks.<ref name="auto"/> They lack flat chewing teeth because they swallow food in chunks. An example of this is shown by the broad, serrated teeth of great white sharks which prey on large marine animals.<ref name="auto1"/> On the other hand, herbivores have rows of wide, flat teeth to bite and chew grass and other plants. Cows spend up to eleven hours a day biting off grass and grinding it with their molars.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2008.00494.x |title=Three-dimensional computer analysis of white shark jaw mechanics: How hard can a great white bite? |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=276 |issue=4 |pages=336–342 |year=2008 |last1=Wroe |first1=S. |last2=Huber |first2=D. R. |last3=Lowry |first3=M. |last4=McHenry |first4=C. |last5=Moreno |first5=K. |last6=Clausen |first6=P. |last7=Ferrara |first7=T. L. |last8=Cunningham |first8=E. |last9=Dean |first9=M. N. |last10=Summers |first10=A. P. }}</ref> Omnivores consume both meat and plants, so they possess a mixture of flat teeth and sharp teeth.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}}
==Carrying mechanism== thumb|An ant carrying a leaf by biting it. Biting can serve as a carrying mechanism for species such as beavers and ants, the raw power of their species-specific teeth allowing them to carry large objects. Beavers have a large tooth adapted for gnawing wood. Their jaw muscles are tuned to power through big trees and carry them back to their dam.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Müller-Schwarze |first1=Dietland |year=2011 |chapter=Form, Weight, and Special Adaptations |pages=11–8 |chapter-url=https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/1706012 |title=The Beaver: Its Life and Impact |isbn=978-0-8014-6086-9 |publisher=Cornell University Press }}</ref> Ants use their powerful jaws to lift material back to the colony. They can carry several thousand times their weight due to their bite and are adapted to use this to forage for their colonies.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.10.053 |pmid=24287400 |url=https://entomologytoday.org/2014/02/11/ants-can-lift-up-to-5000-times-their-own-body-weight-new-study-suggests/ |access-date=11 February 2014 |title=The exoskeletal structure and tensile loading behavior of an ant neck joint |journal=Journal of Biomechanics |volume=47 |issue=2 |pages=497–504 |year=2014 |last1=Nguyen |first1=Vienny |last2=Lilly |first2=Blaine |last3=Castro |first3=Carlos |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Fire ants use their strong bite to get a grip on prey, then inject a toxin via their stinger and carry the prey back to their territory.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Drees |first1=Bastiaan M. |date=December 2002 |title=Medical Problems and Treatment Considerations for the Red Imported Fire Ant |url=https://fireant.tamu.edu/files/2014/03/ENTO_005.pdf |publisher=Texas A&M University |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120131321/http://fireant.tamu.edu/files/2014/03/ENTO_005.pdf }}</ref>
==Dangers== Some organisms have dangerous bites that inject venom. Many snakes carry a venomous saliva containing at least one of the major groups of toxins, which include cytotoxins, hemotoxins, myotoxins, and neurotoxins.<ref name="HarrisGoonetilleke2004">{{cite journal |doi=10.1136/jnnp.2004.045724 |pmid=15316044 |pmc=1765666 |title=Animal poisons and the nervous system: What the neurologist needs to know |journal=Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry |volume=75 |pages=iii40–iii46 |year=2004 |last1=Harris |first1=J. B. |last2=Goonetilleke |first2=A. |issue=Suppl 3 }}</ref> Spider venom polypeptides target specific ion channels, which excites components of the peripheral, central and autonomic nervous systems, causing hyperactive neurotransmitter release and subsequently refractory paralysis.<ref name=HarrisGoonetilleke2004/> Spider bites, or arachnidism, are mainly a form of predation, but also means of self-defense — when trapped or accidentally tampered with by humans, spiders retaliate by biting.<ref>"Workplace Safety & Health Topics Venomous Spiders". cdc.gov. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2018</ref> The recluse spider and widow species have neurotoxins and necrotizing agents that paralyze and digest prey.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=19893831 |url=http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/34866 |year=2009 |last1=Braitberg |first1=G. |title=Spider bites – Assessment and management |journal=Australian Family Physician |volume=38 |issue=11 |pages=862–7 |last2=Segal |first2=L. |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107033849/http://www.racgp.org.au/afp/200911/34866 |archive-date=7 January 2010 }}</ref>
Humans biting each other can cause a number of diseases with streptococci, staphylococci, and anaerobic organisms being very severe causing infections. These bites are typically deep cutting into the skin where the infection forms.<ref name=":1" />
There are several creatures with non-lethal bites that may cause discomfort or diseases. Mosquito bites may cause allergic wheals that are itchy and may last a few days; in some areas, they can spread blood-borne diseases (e.g. malaria and West Nile fever) via transmission of protozoic or viral pathogens.<ref>[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mosquito-bites/symptoms-causes/syc-20375310 "Mosquito Bites"], ''Mayo Clinic'', accessed 28 June 2019</ref> Similarly, tick bites spread diseases endemic to their location, most famously Lyme disease, but ticks also serve as disease vectors for Colorado tick fever, African tick bite fever, Tick-borne encephalitis, etc.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tickbornediseases/ "Tickborne Diseases of the United States"], ''The Center for Disease Control'', accessed 28 June 2019</ref>
== In humans ==
Humans may bite out of play or aggression. Bites that occur from adults fighting are usually on the hands and the skeletal section.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} Infections are a result of bacteria from the mouth spread to another human. Human bites are the third most common type of bites that require a hospital visit.<ref name=":1" /> Biting in children is common, however, it may be prevented by methods including redirection, change in the environment and responding to biting by talking about appropriate ways to express anger and frustration. Children older than 30 months who habitually bite may require professional intervention.<ref>Child Care Links,"[http://www.childcarelinks.org/fyi/fyi_pdf/HOW%20TO%20HANDLE%20BITING.pdf How to Handle Biting] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012046/http://www.childcarelinks.org/fyi/fyi_pdf/HOW%20TO%20HANDLE%20BITING.pdf|date=October 7, 2011}}", retrieved 14 August 2007</ref> Some discussion of human biting appears in ''The Kinsey Report on Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.''<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Kinsey |first1=Alfred C. |title=Sexual Behavior in the Human Female |last2=Pomeroy |first2=Wardell B. |last3=Martin |first3=Clyde E. |last4=Gebhard |first4=Paul H. |last5=Brown |first5=Jean M. |last6=Christenson |first6=Cornelia V. |last7=Collins |first7=Dorothy |last8=Davis |first8=Ritchie G. |last9=Dellenback |first9=William |date=1981 |publisher=Indiana University Press |jstor=j.ctt173zmgn |isbn=978-0-253-33411-4}}</ref> Biting may also occur in physical fights or in self-defense.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Robsam |first1=Samuel Ohayi |last2=Ihechi |first2=Emeka Udeh |last3=Olufemi |first3=William Odesanmi |date=March 2018 |title=Human bite as a weapon of assault |journal=African Health Sciences |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=79–89 |doi=10.4314/ahs.v18i1.12 |issn=1680-6905 |pmc=6016993 |pmid=29977261}}</ref>
The sexual arousal through biting is known as odaxelagnia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Filip |date=2025-06-13 |title=Blood, Teeth, and Tension: The Erotic Bite of Odaxelagnia |url=https://www.playfulmag.com/post/blood-teeth-and-tension-the-erotic-bite-of-odaxelagnia |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=Playful Magazine |language=en}}</ref>
Criminally, Forensic Dentistry is involved in bite-mark analysis. Due to bite-marks change significantly over time, investigators must call for an expert as soon as possible. Bites are then analyzed to determine whether the biter was human, self-inflicted or not, and whether DNA was left behind from the biter. All measurements must be extremely precise, as small errors in measurement can lead to large errors in legal judgment.<ref>Shanna Freeman, [https://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-dentistry3.htm "How Forensic Dentistry Works"], ''How Stuff Works'', accessed 28 June 2019</ref>
Here follows an example of human bite on a right forearm, with its evolution and a view of the teeth:
<gallery> Human bite example 5.jpg|Immediately after Human bite example 4.jpg|Immediately after, closer look Human bite example 6.jpg|30 minutes of evolution Human bite example 7.jpg|2 days of evolution Human bite example 8.jpg|Scar after 6 months Human bite example 2.jpg|Front view of the teeth Human bite example 1.jpg|Lower dental view Human bite example.jpg|Upper teeth </gallery>
Human bites have historically been viewed superstitiously, particularly in the American South where there was once a common belief that the bite of a "blue-gum negro" (i.e., a Black person with darkly pigmented gums) was lethally poisonous.<ref name=bgum1>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-intelligencer-blue-gum-negro/3355823/ | title=Blue Gum Negro | newspaper=The Intelligencer | date=19 May 1892 | page=4 }}</ref><ref name=bgum2>{{cite journal | pmc=8939548 | date=1896 | last1=Ogbourn | first1=L. H. | title=Gangrene Resulting from Bite of "Blue-Gum" Negro | journal=Atlanta Medical and Surgical Journal (1884) | volume=13 | issue=2 | pages=103–105 | pmid=35829173 }}</ref><ref name=bgumdef>{{Cite web|url=https://greensdictofslang.com/entry/bg62g3i|title=blue gum(med), adj. — Green's Dictionary of Slang|website=greensdictofslang.com|access-date=29 September 2025}}</ref>
== See also == * Chewing * Bite force quotient * Animal bite
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Animal bites and stings}}
Category:Biting Category:Ethology