Bite Me

I watched a television program over the weekend that examined the "alligators in the sewers of New York City" myth. They did not find a single one. This was not that big of a surprise since they spent most of the program in Florida collecting information about alligators than they did in the sewers of the Big Apple. One of the interesting facts about alligators is just how much force they can produce when biting into something. The initial bite produces around 1,400 pounds of pressure per square inch with the alligator using 600 pounds of pressure to hold on to his prey once he has captured it. Now that is a scary thought since the force humans use to chew food is only 68 pounds of pressure per square inch.

Sixty-eight pounds of pressure is still a great amount as anyone who has accidentally bitten the inside of their own mouth or tongue knows and, believe me, I know. I managed to bite my tongue while eating dinner one night last week hard enough to make it bleed. Hurt like a son-of-a-gun. The good news is that since wounds inside the mouth heal quickly the cut and bruising were gone in a few days. So remember, be careful out there. The world is more dangerous than you think.