How Strong Is A Gorilla – Gorilla Strength vs Human

Among all the monkeys, Gorillas have an attractive and muscular body much like that of human bodybuilders. Due to their muscular and well built body, we often wonder How Strong Is A Gorilla or how much is Gorilla Strength when compared to human. Here we have gathered complete information about the Gorilla Strength. You are going to learn the strength of male gorilla, female gorilla, silverback gorilla, lowland gorilla, eastern gorilla, mountain gorilla and baby gorilla. In addition to this you are also going to know the gorilla strength test, strength of their punch, how much weight they can lift and why are they so much strong. Furthermore, we have also compared the strength of gorilla with human .

How Strong Is A Gorilla

  • It’s not easy to say how strong gorilla is, because it does not show its strength often due to their gentle nature. However as per recorded experiments, an adult gorilla is four to nine times stronger than an average human.
  • All gorillas can easily bend an iron bar and tear down banana trees.
  • Gorillas are calm and nonaggressive by nature unless they are threatened or disturbed.
  • They show their physical power when they are challenged:
    • They stand upright on their feet
    • throw things
    • make aggressive moves
    • beat their huge chest
    • making frightening noise.

how strong is a gorilla - gorilla strength

 

How Much Strength Does A Gorilla Have

  • Measurement of Gorilla strength is not an easy job. As per estimates made from several experiments, the Gorilla is around four to ten times stronger than an average human.
  • With this strength all gorillas can break down and tear banana trees with their bare hands.
  • Gorillas have even escaped from cages by bending the iron bars.

How Strong Is A Male Gorilla – How strong Is A Female Gorilla

  • The male gorillas are larger in size than the female gorillas and weighs almost double than the females.
  • Due to this difference in size and weight, the male gorilla is almost twice as strong as the female gorilla.

How Strong Is A Silverback Gorilla – Silverback Gorilla Strength

  • The average weight of an adult Silverback Gorillas ranges from 136 to 195 kg (300 to 430 pounds).
  • The heaviest wild Gorilla ever recorded was a silverback male found in the Ambam town of Cameroon with a weight of 267 kg (589 pounds) and a height of 6 ft (1.83 meter)
  • When compared to an average human being, the silverback gorilla is four to nine times stronger than an average man.
  • Silverback gorilla can lift a weight up to 815kg (1800 lb) while a well trained human can lift weight up to 410 kg.
  • Silverback gorillas exhibits incredible strength when they break bamboo canes, almost 20 times stronger than that of the average human. First they bite the bamboo, which weakens it and then break it by hands.

How Strong Is A Lowland Gorilla

  • When compared to other Gorilla Species, the Western Lowland Gorilla is the smallest subspecies.
  • Even though it is small in size than other Gorilla species yet it is a large primate and exhibits sheer amount of strength.
  • The Western Lowland Gorilla is nearly as strong as the other gorilla species and the difference in strength might exists only due to difference in size and weight.

Eastern Gorilla Strength

  • The weight of fully grown male eastern gorilla is 140 to 205 kg i.e. 309 to 453 lb while that of female gorillas is 90 to 100 kg i.e. 200 to 220 lb.
  • The Eastern Gorilla is a little more stronger than the Western Lowland Gorilla.

How Strong Is A Mountain Gorilla

  • Mountain gorillas are little bit larger  in size than other gorillas species.
  • An adult male has a weight of 195 kg (430 lb) while that of female is 100 kg (200 lb).
  • Among all the Gorilla species, the Mountain Gorillas are slightly more stronger due to their size and weight.
  • It is so powerful that it can even crush a crocodile.

Gorilla Strength

How Strong Is A Baby Gorilla

  • The weight of newly born baby gorilla is about 2.5 kg (4.5 lbs).
  • The baby gorillas are weak and vulnerable as that of human babies. However, they are strong enough to cling to their mother body with a powerful grip using both their hands and feet. This keeps them stick to their mother even when the mother is moving fast.
  • Baby Gorillas like to play with their elders or other young gorillas. They wrestle, tumble, climb trees, and even form a chain and walk through the forest.

Gorilla Strength Test

  • According to the Guinness Book of World Records, a silverback gorilla can lift up to 815 kg (1800 lb).
  • On the other hand, a well trained human weightlifter can lift weight up to 410 kg (900 lb) which is half to what a Gorilla can lift.
  • A Gorilla strength test was conducted in 1924, which showed that an adult gorilla can throw a 450 kg (900 lb) of force.
  • While an average human can throw 100 kg (220 lb) which is five times less than that of a gorilla.

How Strong Is A Gorilla Punch

  • A gorilla punch has not been measured yet. We can deduct the strength of a gorilla punch as follows:
    • Gorillas are 4 to 9 times stronger than human.
    • Assume that the punch strength of a Gorilla and human has the same ratio.
    • The average punch force of karate black belt is recorded at 325 pounds.
    • So the punch force of a gorilla could be from 1300 lbs to 2700 lbs.

Gorilla Arm Strength

  • Gorillas have stronger arms than their legs. It is due to presence of large muscles in their arms than those of their legs while in humans it is the opposite.
  • Their arms are strong because they use it for bending and gathering foliage. It also helps them in self defense.
  • Gorillas are capable of walking upright like us on two feet but due to their strong arms, they most often move as a quadruped i.e. on four limbs as it is much easier for them.
  • When compared to their legs, the Gorilla’s arms are longer. Their arm span is about 1 feet i.e. 30 cm which is much longer than that of an average adult human.

Gorilla Jaw Strength

  • Gorilla jaw strength is extraordinary which makes their bite very powerful. 
  • Their bite force is almost double than that of a lion.
  • They have 32 teeth like humans.
  • The bite strength of a gorilla is about 1300 pounds per square inch (PSI) which is much higher than that of a great white shark (525 PSI) and lion (650 PSI).

Why Are Gorillas So Strong – How Are Gorillas So Strong

  • Gorillas are strong due to their large muscles and vegetarian diet.
  • Anatomically their bones have:
    • very thick cortex (outer part of bone)
    • very large bumps and protrusions attached with muscles to withstand high stress. 
  • So gorilla are built strong by nature.

How Much Weight Can A Gorilla Lift

  • They can lift loads that are more than four times their own weight.
  • As per Guinness Book of World Records a silverback gorilla can lift up to 815 kg (1800 lbs ) with its hands.

How Strong Is A Gorilla Compared To A Human – Gorilla Strength vs Human

  • Gorillas are much stronger than humans due to:
    • strong muscles
    • height
    • skeletal structure
    • eating habits
  • A upper body strength of a gorilla is six times more than an adult human.
  • Let’s say an average person can bench press his own body weight then a 300 pounds gorilla can bench press up to approximately 1800 pounds.
  • Compared to humans the upper body of gorillas is well built as gorillas use their arms for both walking and climbing.
  • Generally gorillas are 4 to 10 times stronger than an average human being.
  • A silverback gorilla lift up to 815 kg (1800 lb) while a well trained human can lift a maximum weight up to 410 kg (900 lb).
  • An adult gorilla can throw with almost 450 kg (900 lb) of force while for human it is 100kg (220 lb).
  • There is a huge difference in skeletal and muscular structure of gorillas and humans:
    • the vertebral column of human is S-shaped while that of gorilla is bow shaped.
    • Human legs are longer than human arms while in case of gorillas arms are longer than their feet.
    • humans 5 toes are all aligned with each other while gorilla have opposable large toes.
    • Size of rib cage in gorilla is much larger than humans.
    • Gorillas arms muscles are larger compared to human arm muscles.

Gorilla Strength Facts Summary

  • An adult gorilla is four to nine times stronger than a average human.
  • All gorillas can easily tear down a banana trees and bend the iron bar of a cage.
  • The strength of a gorilla bite is 1300 (PSI).
  • Silverback gorilla can lift upto 815 kg (1800 lb) of dead weight.
  • The muscles of gorilla arms are larger in size than those in their legs.

Disclaimer:  There is no real data available on how strong is a gorilla, as:

  • They haven’t competed against men in strong man competitions.
  • No human has ever fought a gorilla.

Through facts, conjecture and assumptions we have deducted the information available in this post.

How Strong Is A Gorilla – Gorilla Strength Video

30 Comments

  1. Those old tests from 1920´s aren´t taken seriously anymore. Also that Guinness Book of Records estimation is based on old myths. Interesting to see even today this kind of unreliable text made to look like it would be valid. Bit it would be interesting to see even once a gorilla doing something really impressive. But it is just one animal among others.

  2. I am a gorilla and actually am much stronger than these “old myths” claim. This is because my testosterone level is 10 times that of average human. Haven’t you seen Planet of the Apes?

  3. The most humans have been documented lifting is 1,102 lbs so your telling me a 600 lbs gorilla can only lift around 700 lbs more than a 300 lbs man when it was document back in the 70’s that a chimp could effectively lift more than 6 times its body weight and in a 1923 study they had a chimp that was able to pull over 1,200 lbs so I guess gorillas are just week when it comes to primates or the studies on gorillas in regards to this topic just don’t exist and its all speculatory science that hasn’t been proven

    • There are no 700 lbs gorillas. Gorillas are usually in between 320-400 lbs. Also those old “tests” concerning chimps have been debunked, new tests show that chimps are about 1,3-1,5 times stronger than as big human. Gorillas also have never been seen to lift something heavy. Lions and tigers also have stronger muscle fibers based on some studies and they are bigger than gorillas… and then we have real powerhouses, proven powerhouse, bears… gorilla is nothing too special, a primate, strong, but not only strong animal, not at all.

      • Ben: You have no idea what you’re talking about. I suggest that you refrain from commenting to avoid revealing your ignorance.

        • Actually I do, but obviously you don´t. You should study this subject if you want to be taken seriously. What I write is based on scientific studies, unlike you comment now. I know, that there are people like you, who want to believe, that gorillas are stronger and bigger than they are. Of course a 150-200 kg animal is strong, but so are all the other animals as big or bigger. Gorilla is no exception and neither is other overrated primate, chimpanzee. Which doesn´t mean, that they wouldn´t be fascinating animals.

        • Actually i do have an idea, but you haven´t really payed attention what comes to scientific studies.

  4. Also average weight of male gorillas is about 160-190 kg, not 270, biggest ever in scientific records has been 219 kg…. it´s odd to see so many mistakes and unreliable information on site with name “gorillafacts”. Gorillas are strong, but in this site seems to be a lot of claims, but no sources for people to check.

    • Studies are always fascinating in their varying nature. I c a bear struggling to kill a bison, whereas a male lion sometimes kills a stronger buffalo with brute strength. The strength of a lion swipe is also fascinating when it also braves/bolds water infested crocs. I’vent ceen interact with alligators. Polar bear has proved itself though.

      • Lions don´t kill buffalos with brute strength. Bears then again are way stronger than lions and tigers. What come´s to bravery it is another thing. All animals have more brave and less brave individuals. For instance brown bears often chase even polar bears forcing them to leave carcasses in areas in which they overlap.

        • Actually, tigers and lions have been documented killing bears before in captivity. And male lions are indeed capable of killing Buffalo single-handedly.

  5. I wonder how a strong dominant male mountain or silverback gorilla would react if Hafthor Bjornsson, 200kg, went up to it in the jungle or in a zoo.

  6. Actually the easteen lowland gorilla is the largest and stronfest type of gorilla, not the mountain gorilla.

  7. Looks like, that you try to cover your ignorance. Gorillas aren´t that strong as some people think and it´s quite simple to understand. Superman is just a comics character. Same goes with King Kong, entertaining movie, but nothing to do with reality. Gorillas are just 150-220 kg apes, not big bears etc. which can have a lot more muscle and strength.

  8. Ben, thank you for your information. Do you have some reference to indicate? I am looking for some scientific paper about the large mammals strength.

  9. I saw an article in a Maryland paper back in the late 70s that an adult, male chimpanzee had escaped from a roadside show by ripping off one of its handler’s arms. That’s a chimp and the strength required to do it is enormous. I would expect a gorilla to be several orders of magnitude more powerful than the smaller chimp.

    • That is just typical way to spread misinformation. Reading exaggerated article from “good old days” and then telling it here like it would be a true story. Chimpanzees are pound to pound around 1,3-1,5 times stronger than humans, no more. Gorillas are also just big primates, not some “superanimals”. For instance lions have stronger muscle fibres and lions are bigger animals. Also brown bears are proven powerhouses dwarfing gorillas.

      • Bears are also hardly the “superanimals” you make them out to be. They’ve been killed by lions and tigers before. In fact, no animal is truly a “superanimal” and most are endangered thanks to us supposedly “weak” humans.

  10. Was interesting until “vegetarian diet” was listed as a reason for them being exceptionally strong. Science has proven over and over that a vegetarian diet is inferior to being carnivorous or omnivorous when you are talking about strength or mental capacity. If their diet is to be taken into account it should be praising their strength DESPITE the disadvantage of their vegetarian diet and maybe even evoking the question of what they might be capable of if they gained the benefits of a more nutrient/caloric dense food source. Such a basic misunderstanding of basic biology (according to literally every evolutionary study of every species on this planet) really makes me question the validity of anything else here.

    • You are wrong. Eating meat is just having proteins at second hand. Herbivores are the most powerful on the planet. And this was the same all the time. Look back on dinosaurs: you will see that the biggest and most powerful of them was herbivores. It’s all the same to humans. As we are not built to hunt, we are not built to eat meat. Yes we cannot hunt anything using just our body. We cannot even catch a chicken because they are much faster than us. We don’t have teeth to kill. Simply our body is not equipped to kill anything. The simple fact that we can do it using our mind does not mean we should. We hate the smell and taste of raw meat. That was never our food. Can you imagine our ancestors chasing and killing animals with their bare hands? And then siting in a circle an eating raw meat full of blood? lol? If you believe this is true, than … you are wrong. So meat is not what we should eat. Yes that information was real. Being vegan makes you stronger and extend your life span.

  11. I would easily be able to take a gorilla in a 12 round sanctioned boxing fight, no biting. The key to beating a gorilla is to tire him out, which I expect would happen in about 3 or so rounds. After that you just block and win on points, preferably fighting on the outside.

  12. Can anyone give me a credible source besides their words in order for me to be able to believe anyone??

  13. After all these years, I’ve come back to apologize for spreading bear propaganda. I’ve changed my ways and am now a gorilla believer. I hope you all can forgive me for spreading misinformation. I now see the true strength of the gorilla, and I will never participate in politics ever again.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Follow Us