LONDON, July 3: The Bite with which Mike Tyson took off a chunk of fellow heavyweight Evander Holyfield's ear was probably delivered with twice normal force, New Scientist magazine said yesterday.

Most people generate forces equivalent to around 10 kilos when they bite with their incisors, Tom Korioth of the University of Minnesota's dental school said.

But having watched on video, Korioth estimated that the force must have been twice as strong.

``He was shearing and tearing, which is almost alligator-like,'' Korioth was quoted as saying by the magazine. ``Most of the ear is cartilage and you need a lot of power to bite through it.''

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