It is common knowledge that the gorilla is the strongest of the primates. “But how strong is the gorilla?”, a lot of people wonder. And, what is the gorilla’s strength compared to other great apes such as the humans and chimpanzees? Finding out the incredible strength of the gorilla is a thing of curiosity! Perhaps this curiosity is largely driven by the fictional movies in which the gorilla “King Kong” is portrayed as an incredibly powerful beast strong enough to slap a helicopter out of the sky!
The question of strength of a gorilla is also asked by people planning for the gorilla trekking adventure in Rwanda or Uganda, “fantasizing” what their chances would be if faced with a rough a encounter with a gorilla in the jungle.
Well, here is the answer…
A full grown adult male gorilla (13+ years), that is called the Silverback gorilla, is the epitome of gorilla strength. Silverback gorilla can reach a standing height of over 5 feet (1.5 meters) and weigh up to 450 pounds (204kg).
The Silverback gorilla is of incredible strength, being able to lift load of over 1700 pounds (up to 800kg).
Man vs gorilla strength
The adult male gorilla’s strength compared to an adult man is told that, one adult male gorilla equals to 8 healthy men.
One male gorilla strength is therefore equivalent to an 8-man rugby pack.
Chimpanzee vs gorilla strength
The chimpanzee is a very powerful primate but its strength is not close to the gorilla’s strength. The strength of one adult male gorilla is said to be equivalent to the strength of about five chimpanzees.
Are gorillas aggressive/violent?
As the saying goes, “with great power come great responsibility”. The gorillas’ sheer strength and huge size is a contrast to their character. Gorillas are very gentle animals. For gorillas, their emotional well -being is everything and it is important for their survival. So they will avoid any hostile environment and encounter. Only when they are really threatened will they take on the attacker or hostile element. And the work of fighting for the group is left to the all-powerful Silverback! The females will mostly scamper away into the bushes.
In fact, the gorillas mostly use this strength to put down trees and tear/break branches of trees to reach fruits.
How do gorillas fight?
In movies the gorilla is depicted using his powerful arms whacking or slapping. On the contrary during a fight gorillas mostly rely on their powerful jaws to give a nasty bite. The gorilla has a bite force twice that of a lion.
They will also drag and throw.