Research overview: canine teeth, the killing bite, and prey dispatch in cats

Felids kill primarily with their canine teeth, and this overview reviews how canine form and the killing bite are matched to prey. Many cats deliver a precise nape or throat bite, the slender, sharp canines slipping between vertebrae to sever the spinal cord or clamping the windpipe to suffocate larger prey. Sensory feedback from the teeth and lips is thought to help position the bite. Researchers study this through observation of hunting, analysis of canine shape and spacing, and bite mechanics. Why it matters: the killing bite is the decisive moment of predation, and the geometry of the canines, the short forceful jaw, and the targeting behaviour form an integrated system. It also sets up comparisons with the radically different killing strategy of sabertoothed cats.