In the animal world, there is usually one rule – the larger the creature, the stronger it is. It can be assumed that the same situation applies to bones, because large animals also have larger bones, since they need to withstand a lot of weight, so the larger the animal, the stronger its bones. On the one hand, this is true, but this rule does not always work. Some relatively small animals have stronger bones than the real giants of the animal world. The reason is that bone strength depends on many factors, such as, for example, the habitat.
You can't even guess which animal has the strongest bones. Photo source: pikabu.ru
What determines bone strength
Currently, the largest skeleton in the world is owned by the blue whale. However, its bones are not the strongest, and their density is inferior to that of other animals. Due to this, the skeleton has less weight, which increases the buoyancy of the whale. Thanks to the light skeleton, the animal can more easily float to the surface to breathe air after a deep dive.
On land, animal skeletons must have different qualities. Therefore, they evolved in such a way that animals could reach large sizes and withstand enormous weights. Evolution affected the structural changes of bones, as a result of which they became increasingly dense and durable.
The blue whale is the animal with the largest spine on the planet. Photo source: scientificrussia.ru
One of the largest known animals to have ever lived on our planet is Patagotitan mayorum. It was a herbivorous dinosaur of colossal size, meaning its bones had to be extremely strong to support its body.
However, as mentioned above, larger size is not always associated with greater strength, at least when it comes to modern animals. Some of the strongest bones we know of belong to relatively small animals. This means that strength depends not only on the habitat and size of the animal, but also on other factors, such as the creature's lifestyle, the way it obtains food, etc.
The rhinoceros' femur can withstand a compressive weight of 109 tons. Photo source: naked-science.ru
Which modern animals have the strongest bones?
The human skeleton is quite fragile compared to some other mammals. However, the strength of the bones in our body varies. For example, the most fragile bone is the clavicle, which connects the shoulder blade to the sternum. And the strongest bone in the skeleton is the femur. It is even stronger than steel (with the same weight).
A similar picture is observed in the animal kingdom – the strongest bones in animal skeletons are the femur. If you guessed that the strongest bone is the rhinoceros, you would be right to some extent. Just imagine that this bone can withstand a compressive load of 109 tons. For comparison, the net mass of a passenger car is 58 tons. That is, one rhinoceros femur can withstand the weight of almost two railway cars.
However, if we take into account not the strength of the bone as a whole, but the strength of bone tissue, then roe deer come first. They are small animals that seem very fragile. Their height usually does not exceed 75 centimeters, and their weight is about 25 kilograms. However, a study conducted at the University of Bath showed that the thin femur of a roe deer can withstand a compressive force of 1.7 tons.
The femur of a roe deer can withstand a compressive weight of 1.7 tons. Photo source: zverosite.ru
That is, the thin and fragile at first glance femur of a roe deer can withstand the weight of an SUV, such as, for example, a Jeep Grand Cherokee. Accordingly, if this bone were as large as that of a rhinoceros, it could withstand a much greater load than two railway cars.
Which animal has the strongest spine
In terms of spine strength, the leaders are not roe deer or even rhinoceroses, but a small animal – the hero shrew Thor (Scutisorex thori). It has a unique spine that is not found in any other mammal.
Thor's hero shrew has the strongest spine. Photo source: sueddeutsche.de
The spine of this animal is especially strong because the vertebrae are flattened like pancakes and interlocked. They have many areas where each vertebra touches the neighboring vertebrae. There is a story that in the early 1900s, local residents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo first demonstrated this animal and its endurance to European naturalists. A man stood on a shrew and stood on it for 5 minutes, while the animal remained unharmed.
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But why did evolution give them such an unusual spine? Of course, not so that they could withstand the weight of a person. According to scientists, dense and strong vertebrae allow these animals to compress and stretch their bodies in order to tear wood with them in search of food. However, this is just a theory that has not yet been confirmed. But, in any case, these are truly unique animals.