# Gorillas Vs. Tigers **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [July 5, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394 "2014-07-05T04:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/1 "2014-07-05T04:03:04Z")
If you trained ten full grown male mountain gorillas and ten full grown Siberian tigers to fight to the death in a battle royale, who would emerge victorious? My children and fiancee are betting on the gorillas. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/2 "2014-07-05T04:10:21Z")
Specify the arena. Forested, with trees to climb, and big branches to use as clubs or spears? Probably the gorillas. Open savanna, with no major terrain features? Definitely the tigers. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/3 "2014-07-05T04:58:17Z")
I have no question the tigers would win easily. There is a record of an adult male gorilla being killed by a leopard one quarter its weight. Male Siberian Tigers weigh from 400-675 lb, while male Mountain Gorillas are of similar weight, 500-600 lb. A Gorilla might win an occasional contest by luck, but I would bet on the tiger 9 times out of 10. Tigers are predators and are designed as killing machines. Gorillas are designed to fight other gorillas. Most of the time they’re just going to defend themselves and not go in for the kill. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/4 "2014-07-05T05:24:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Specify the arena. Forested, with trees to climb, and big branches to use as clubs or spears? Probably the gorillas. Open savanna, with no major terrain features? Definitely the tigers. I thought tigers are adapted to live in forests, and use trees and foliage for cover while hunting, not open savanna. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/5 "2014-07-05T07:31:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > … big branches to use as clubs or spears? Do gorillas make and use spears? Or even clubs? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/6 "2014-07-05T12:43:52Z")
Rick, Rick, Rick… Do NOT antagonize the fiancee or the kids over this. WE know the tigers would win, but give up and “admit” the gorillas would triumph. It’ll be good practice for marriage, when you’ll be “wrong” about far more important things. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/7 "2014-07-05T16:08:14Z")
I have to stress the gorillas are TRAINED to fight. That’s a key thing; you’ve got to assume the gorillas would not do what they’d normally do (run away, try to avoid combat) but would make an honest attempt to kill the tigers. Arena: A basketball court surrounded by a cage strong enough to contain the competitors. 20,000 fans are watching. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/8 "2014-07-05T16:23:36Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I have to stress the gorillas are TRAINED to fight. That’s a key thing; you’ve got to assume the gorillas would not do what they’d normally do (run away, try to avoid combat) but would make an honest attempt to kill the tigers. > > Arena: A basketball court surrounded by a cage strong enough to contain the competitors. 20,000 fans are watching. Tigers every time. The gorillas have nothing that can do first blow damage like a tiger’s claws. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/9 "2014-07-05T16:50:24Z")
http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1987/11/21#.U7gsNk1OX4Y"]Relevant wildlife research ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/10 "2014-07-05T17:21:02Z")
Gorillas can climb a cage easily; tigers not so much. If nothing else, the gorillas can force a draw. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/11 "2014-07-07T04:50:05Z")
They can’t stay on the cage forever, sooner or later they’ll have to come down ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/12 "2014-07-07T13:02:52Z")
Yeah, but they’ll shit on the tigers and blind them before they do. Hilarity will then ensue. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/13 "2014-07-07T13:19:29Z")
I’m betting on the lion. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/14 "2014-07-07T13:26:25Z")
If we go with the animal that has the best band associated with it, the answer is clear. [Gorillaz](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gorillaz) win in a landslide over [Glass Tiger](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=glass+tiger). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/15 "2014-07-07T15:41:44Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I have to stress the gorillas are TRAINED to fight. That’s a key thing; you’ve got to assume the gorillas would not do what they’d normally do (run away, try to avoid combat) but would make an honest attempt to kill the tigers. I doubt you could train gorillas well enough to make much of a difference. But even with trained gorillas, I’d still go with the tigers. Gorillas just don’t have as much capacity to be instantly lethal. ---
**Author:** ![ekweizn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7c8e57/32.png) [@ekweizn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekweizn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/16 "2014-07-07T16:04:11Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > If we go with the animal that has the best band associated with it, the answer is clear. [Gorillaz](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gorillaz) win in a landslide over [Glass Tiger](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=glass+tiger). Last time I checked, no one has written a song called “Eye of the Gorilla”. Rocky montage for the win. ---
**Author:** ![Claptree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Claptree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claptree)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/17 "2014-07-07T17:50:18Z")
According to QI, in the 1800s people orchestrated fights between grizzlys and lions. Apparently, the bears won every time, smashing the lions’ relatively weak skulls. Not the same scenario, but somewhat similarish? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gorillas-vs-tigers/692394/18 "2014-07-07T19:15:14Z")
> [@Claptree](#): > > Not the same scenario, but somewhat similarish? Smacking with a forepaw to the head is a typical killing move by a bear. I don’t know that a gorilla would necessarily use the same kind of move.