Scubaism

Experts will be able to determine the bite force of the great white shark for the first time following the development of new computer technology.

Biologists at the University of NSW yesterday started to examine the head of a specimen caught in a shark net off the central coast of NSW. This dissection, a rare opportunity, will enable the collection of anatomical and biomechanical data from the shark’s skull and muscle tissues.

The 2.4m young male shark, which has been named Blancito, would have “been in business for a while” and used its teeth for catching other marine life, said Dr Dan Huber, who flew in from the University of Tampa, Florida, for the dissection.

UNSW scientist Stephen Wroe, who is behind the development of the bite force-measuring equipment, said almost nothing was known about the bite force and skull mechanics of great white sharks.

“This will allow us to discover the maximum bite capacity,” he said. Using image and analysis software developed by scientists at the University of Newcastle and UNSW, a scan of the shark’s skull, jaw and muscles will be simplified into hundreds of thousands of elements, shaped like tetrahedrons. These will allow the scientists to “crash test” Blancito’s skull and jaws under different scenarios on the computer.

The team has used the equipment to look at the feeding habits of other flesh-eating animals, such as the sabre-tooth tiger, the African lion and marsupial lion, and the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine. The marsupial lion holds the top position as the most powerful biter for its size of any living or extinct animal.

Dr Wroe said determining the bite capacity for the great white shark would help in the design of shark-proof equipment, such as cages. In the past, shark expert Dr Huber has used his expertise for the US Navy, investigating whether sharks are responsible for damaging undersea cables and communication systems on submarines.

The team, including Colin McHenry and Philip Clausen, hopes the new information will contribute to the protection of naval and civilian communications systems.