Ape Strength: Myth vs Reality

[Shadow]

(12-12-2018, 10:11 AM)johnny rex Wrote:

(12-12-2018, 01:00 AM)Shadow Wrote: Well, I decided to make one topic too mostly from curiosity about this matter. Gorillas are often mentioned to be very strong animals. I think, that there is no doubt about it, that they are strong. But even though I like gorillas a lot myself, with time I have become more and more skeptical about certain things. Often is said, that gorilla is pound to pound in top ten what comes to strong animals if insects are counted out. But to what that claim is based really? To hypotheses, estimations etc.... but what is really proven and does it has that reputation mostly because it is so close to humans and people would like to see it as almost a "superanimal".

Personally I don´t believe, that gorilla earns to be lifted to some pedestal to be pound to pound stronger than for instance a bear if there is nothing else, than some hypotheses, estimations and hopes. On the other hand if that can be proven and there are some concrete examples of proven and truly impressive cases where gorilla has shown exceptional strength, it would be nice to know. And here when I say exceptional, I mean compared to other strong animals, not compared to some "average Joe" sitting on couch.

Hopefully people who participate to this discussion (if any :) tolerate criticism and to be questioned too. For instance if someone writes, that gorillas are 20 times stronger than humans he/she can be sure to be questioned and asked to what such claim is based :)

And just in case, I do absolutely love gorillas and hope to them all good, but this issue just is interesting and seems to be a difficult one to find real information. I personally am not so interested about muscle fibres etc. but about real cases and information which aren´t just hypotheses or guesses.

There's no doubt that gorillas are strong, but I'm not sure whether their strength is really that comparable if compared to predatory animals such as bears, big cats, crocs, etc.

Comparisons are of course always things, which can cause debates. Still many times people have no trouble to say how gorillas are so very strong, like they would be only strong animals on the planet and how they can do this and that. Lift enormous weights and who knows what. Still when looking closer it is very difficult or even impossible to find something to back up those claims.

I take one example. There is one hypothesis/claim, that gorilla could lift 2000 kg. I have seen that speculation and there is no actual information, what is meant by lifting. Does it mean, that gorilla could lift it a little bit from ground and maybe move it aside with extreme effort and be exhausted after such performance. Or has that person behind this hypothesis meant, that gorilla could do that effortlessly. Now many people who don´t use any source criticism or think, seem to have imaginations about gorillas able to pick up cars and lift overhead etc. just like that (yes, I know balance problems, but what comes to assumed strength). But same time has anyone ever seen gorilla lifting anything heavy, for instance like 400-500 kg? Or something what could be seen as something impressive compared for instance to a bear. Bear is in that way a good animal to compare, that bears are known to move heavy objects in a way which often looks like to be effortless or at least surprisingly easy.

And when in many myths, true or false, gorillas are told to be pound to pound one of the strongest animals, then naturally also that myth is interesting. To what such claim is based or is it based on anything really?

Because gorillas are indeed interesting and impressive animals and their strength is mentioned often, it has been quite interesting to notice, that when trying to learn more about that famous strength, it is actually very difficult to find practically anything to really prove it. Or give even a hint, that they are so strong as often said. I have this feeling, that there is a lot of hype there and truth is more or less, that gorillas are pretty much in same level overall as any other animal in same weight. 

I hope, that someone would have reliable information and more than just some hypothesis or guesses. I do agree, as I have said, that gorillas are strong, that is not my point to try to say, that they wouldn´t be. I am only interested, that how strong really, because many claims seem to be more or less imaginative based on King Kong movies :) That can sound a little bit provocative, but this seems to be a subject, where hopes are mixed to reality many times :) Question is how much? Reply