Giant Guinea Pig Had Bite As Strong As A Tiger

A giant guinea pig that weighed more than a tonne had a bite as strong as a tiger, scientists have discovered.

Josephoartigasia monesi lived around three million years ago and was the size of a buffalo.

Experts believe it used its giant teeth to dig for food and defend itself from predators.

Lead scientist Dr Philip Cox, from the University of York, said: "This is very similar to how a modern day elephant uses its tusks."

The experts used computer simulation methods to estimate how powerful a bite it had.

A scan was made of a Josephoartigasia monesi specimen before a virtual reconstruction of its skull was created.

Engineering techniques were then used to discover the bite had a force of around 1,400 Newtons - about the same as that of a tiger.