What functional structure allowed Thylacoleo's jaw musculature to translate force effectively into crushing impact?
The leverage provided by the jaw articulation relative to the massive premolars.
Although the large attachment sites on the skull implied tremendous raw closing power generated by the temporalis muscles, the critical factor magnifying this force at the point of contact was the mechanical advantage inherent in the jaw structure itself. Specifically, the configuration of the jaw articulation created a mechanical environment where the force applied by the muscles was significantly magnified at the massive premolars. This leverage meant the effective force delivered to the prey's defense barriers—such as thick bone—was considerably higher than what might be expected from simply measuring the muscular contraction alone. This magnification is what translated average muscular output into exceptional, focused impact force.
