In 1997 there have been a series of well-publicized biting incidents involving a famous boxer (Mike Tyson), a well-known sportscaster (Marv Albert), and a West Virginia judge (Joseph Triosi). The anatomical targets were, respectively, ear, back, and nose. These incidents, as reported in the news media and confirmed independently, represent an almost archetypical case of infantile regression. It is a startling thing for an adult to bite someone, especially in public as in the cases of the boxer and the judge, on which I will focus.
John Rogers (Wed,) studied this question.