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Ape Strength: Myth vs Reality
Ape Strength: Myth vs Reality
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Ape Strength: Myth vs Reality
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Some years ago, seems like well over a decade ago, I wrote a letter to the sanctuary - https://activerain.com/blogsview/804381/...-mountains
I asked if they have ever considered performing a test of gorilla strength. I stressed that this could probably be performed in a way that might actually be enjoyable to the great apes with no pain or stress. From the return mail I received you would think that I had asked if I could feed their gorilla's Strychnine.  (12-13-2018, 03:10 AM)brotherbear Wrote: Shadow says: I mean, leopards have killed also silverback gorillas in some occasions, but I don´t still think a second, that a 50-90 kg leopard would be stronger than a gorilla. I mentioned that only to explain, that leopard killing a gorilla is not about it, which one is stronger and therefore it has really nothing to do with this topic here. Which is, that how strong is a gorilla? Discussing about what animal can kill a gorilla or not doesn´t give any information about it, that how strong a gorilla is, what comes to brute strength. So I hope, that discussions about predation would be off from this thread and focus would be finding and sharing information about gorilla strength. And if finding something credible, then consideration that do some case justify claims, that gorilla would be something extraordinary among other animals. Or at the same level as other animals same size? Or when comparing maybe pound to pound to what some other animal is able to do if cases are in some way comparable. It is so easy to go to sidetrack and start to debate/discuss about irrelevant issue :) I think, that we had already discussion about gorillas and leopards in The Great Apes thread and nothing new to add to that discussion. And if is, there is a good place to continue that topic :)
Shadow - understood completely. My point is - the great ape is very strong or else the leopard ( a professional assassin ) would not fear it.
As for finding any measurement on gorilla strength - good luck. I wish you success. (12-13-2018, 03:33 AM)brotherbear Wrote: Shadow - understood completely. My point is - the great ape is very strong or else the leopard ( a professional assassin ) would not fear it. Yes in that way it of course indicates what you say. Unfortunately that is something so abstract, that not possible to make much conclusions. This is a hard task I think. I have looked many times what could be found and so little anything concrete or really convincing. Maybe this is mission impossible, but at least now trying to find out if someone here has good information and hopefully not creating a heated up debate : 
Heh, this has actually nothing to do with gorilla strength, but I put this here, because it is just fun. This video from 1:29 forward gives fun reminder about wildlife and how being stronger doesn´t mean bravery
 At least not everytime. Then again same kind of situations can be seen with every animal time to time :)
@Shadow :
Like men, gorillas have arms and hands. Like men they are able to stand up. And perhaps because of that, we would be curious to know what they are capable of, and because of that, perhaps, we are regreting that they are no more demonstrative. Because of their commune features (men, hands, posture...), it would be very easy to compare men and gorillas. (12-15-2018, 06:42 PM)Spalea Wrote: @Shadow : My curiosity is also from that, that there are so much myths around gorillas, or at least I consider those myths. Like "gorilla is able to lift 2000 kg". Especially when someone is saying, that it could lift that overhead, that sounds for me witless exaggeration, when there is no proof whatsoever. Of course most people who make these claims are ignorant "fanboys" or trolls amusing themselves. Also information tends to change, when it is transferred from one people to another. First there is some biologist answering to some reporter asking how strong a gorilla is? He thinks a little bit and then gives something (maybe to get rid of the reporter) like "well.... I think, that it could lift even 2000 kg if able to keep balance".... then reporter makes a story "scientists say, that gorilla can lift 2000 kg"..... then some reader tells to his friend "did you know, that gorillas can lift 2000 kg easily???"..... then this friend tells to next one "guess what I just heard, gorillas can lift 2000 kg just like that, did you know, it could take that Toyota of yours and throw it away just like that...:"..... When reading many comments in many places that chain of events seems to be most credible what comes to many thoughts about it, that how strong gorillas are. I have no doubt about it, that they are very strong and I like them just as much, no matter are they able to lift 500 kg or 2000 kg. But since I don´t like exaggeration, this is interesting for me :) And I think, that I am not only one, who would like to know reality.
@Shadow :
About what you told at #29, - "Gorilla can lift 2000 kilos", then "Gorilla can lift 2000 kilos easily" and finally "Gorilla can lift 2000 kilos just like that..."-, In French we speak of "téléphone arabe" (literarly "Arabian phone"), in the french-english dictionary this expression is translated by "Chinese whispers" or "bush telegraph"... Of course, nor do I believe that gorillas are able to lift 2000 kilos. Of course too they are very strong, but they exert their strenght much more seldomly than, for example, big cats, lions and tigers (that weighs aproximately the same weight, around 200-220 kilos) when they come to kill a big prey and, after, to pull it into a more safer place. Even if they don't have neither arm nor hand able to lift the corpse over their head. Thus...
Since there has never been even an attempt at measuring the strength of a silverback gorilla by any kind of professionals, perhaps some close estimation could be found from a study of his anatomy. Height and weight, chest girth, neck girth, length of arms and legs, and ( if it could possibly be found ) circumference of limbs.
I'm thinking probably not as strong as a similar-sized bear but stronger than an Olympic weight-lifter. (12-16-2018, 05:41 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Since there has never been even an attempt at measuring the strength of a silverback gorilla by any kind of professionals, perhaps some close estimation could be found from a study of his anatomy. Height and weight, chest girth, neck girth, length of arms and legs, and ( if it could possibly be found ) circumference of limbs. Yes, in that way some estimations might be possible. Then again estimations are always controversial if there is nothing concrete to back up those estimations. I just hope, that someone finds something and share it here. I am myself time to time looking around, but at least so far nothing so special. Many things showing indications of strength, but nothing what would make that "wow" effect when comparing to other strong animals. So at this point I keep gorilla as one strong animal among others, nothing less but also nothing more.
I put this document about chimpanzees here, because some estimations about strength of gorilla are based on old information about chimpanzees.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication..._evolution This report is one reason why I am very skeptic what comes to many claims about gorillas "super strength". 
I once played with an orangutan youngster through the fence at a Sweedish zoo, I dipped a stick in honey and the orangutan would lick it off. When I tried to take back the stick and the orangutang held on, it is the most insane strength I have ever felt from an animal that size or a fair amount bigger like big dogs 2-3 times heavier. It was like it was semented into a building, I’m not joking it was insane, I’ve been trainig martial arts for years, but that orangutan was probably stronger than me even being a young animal at 20 kg. I also heard from the animal park where I worked a couple years back that 3 men where no match in a thug if war against their 85 kg male Chimpanzee Julius.
I don’t know how strong they are, but compared to us humans I think people would be shocked about how much stronger they actually are.. no man on the planet neither Daniel Cormier or a roided Jon Jones would stand a chance against an adult Chimpanzee or Orangutan. And gorillas are obviously even much stronger. I think a gorilla is stronger than a big cat at the same size, perhaps equal to a bear. (12-28-2018, 05:42 AM)Pantherinae Wrote: I once played with an orangutan youngster through the fence at a Sweedish zoo, I dipped a stick in honey and the orangutan would lick it off. When I tried to take back the stick and the orangutang held on, it is the most insane strength I have ever felt from an animal that size or a fair amount bigger like big dogs 2-3 times heavier. It was like it was semented into a building, I’m not joking it was insane, I’ve been trainig martial arts for years, but that orangutan was probably stronger than me even being a young animal at 20 kg. I also heard from the animal park where I worked a couple years back that 3 men where no match in a thug if war against their 85 kg male Chimpanzee Julius. Nice to get some concrete examples. Of course what comes to hands, especially those should be and for sure are strongest part of big apes among bite strength. I have seen also many things indicating, that there is power and strength in gorillas. What is open question is, that how much there is, where reality ends and myths starts. I am personally sure, that gorilla is more than any human can handle, males weight 150-220 kg, so even if 1,5 times stronger muscles to start with as default, anyone can figure out what we are talking about... But really nice to get some examples. I also have no doubts, that a chimp that size (85 kg) is a nightmare if it gets mad. There also if we think about 1,5 times stronger and in rage having no holds when fighting with that agility. It is something different, than any martial art. I guess, that some strong man could overwhelm it with brute strength, but that is different thing than winning it in fight or even if able to do that, doing it without some severe injuries. I remember one case where a man fought with a small leopard (after shooting it twice with a rifle first), he managed to kill the leopard with bare hands. But based on what I read, he would have died after that if not able to get help and medical treatment soon. Animals in rage or feeling cornered etc. fight.... like animals do. As I have said here before, comparing to humans isn´t the thing I am interested, even though examples like yours still can give hints about what we are dealing with this topic. Interesting thing is if we can find some examples giving hints/information what it is if we compare to other animals. I remember one youtube video about testing lions pulling. There was a man who seemed to almost piss in his pants for excitement when lion pulled quite strongly. |
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