We were returning from holdiays last week going through Jasper, and we spotted a rather large Black Bear. So, after taking a couple photos of it we continued on our journey home, talking about the power of those beautiful animals. Don’t ask me why, but one of those stupid questions popped in my head and I can’t think of the answer myself.
What animal would win in a fight? A big, silverback Lowland gorilla (I mentioned this because its the onlyone I have ever seen personally)
I believe the whole issue of bear-versus-primate was settled in Disney’s The Jungle Book. In the altercation between Baloo and King Louie, the orangutan was the superior scat singer. The bear, on the other hand, seemed to have a slight edge as a dancer.
Any conclusions beyond this are pure conjecture and silliness, and aren’t worth discussion.
Well, the bear has those sharp claws, but the gorilla has opposable thumbs (or something close to it)…
I’d say that the gorilla could shred the bear without breaking a sweat. I’m thinking in terms of better use of its “arms,” superior muscle strength, and better mobility. Yeah, I’d give the bear about 30 seconds.
I sure as hell care, as does Needs2Know. Search on his first few posts.
Aren’t gorillas like, 20 or 30 times stronger than a human of the same size, because of they’re muscle texture, or something?
I’m with the gorilla, if it gets the jump on the bear. If the bear gets the jump on the gorilla, I say the bear slashes him open and bites his head off.
I’d say the gorilla, easily, even if it is up against a grizzly (and I’m in Montana, so I respect grizzlies!). The important difference is that a bear has to close the range to fight, while an ape doesn’t. It can throw things at the bear, and enough big rocks to the head will kill anything, eventually.
Of course, I don’t know if an ape actually would do this, but it could.
Bears eat meat, they have claws that slash, teeth that tear. Gorilla’s are Veggiterians(sp) they are also fairly calm, placid sorts. I’m putting my money on the Bears.
A little poking around illustrates that this question has been asked by other people in other forums. The following link is apparently the result of somebody emailing the question (specifying brown bear, AKA grizzly, rather than black) to several zoos:
Chronos has a point (BTW, primates do throw stuff, like their own shit), but I have to believe if they got to grips, and we’re talking about a grizzly, the gorilla’s done for. Even with the black bear, in an enclosed arena, my money’s on the bear. I looked up weights, incidently, and a large black bear (300-400 lbs) is only a tad lighter on average than a mature male gorilla (say about 450 lbs).
Gee, Chronos, somebody at MSU respecting grizzlies? They’ll be glad to hear that in Missoula …
Of course I meant the animals, yabob, not those pansy Missoulans that don’t even have a proper physics depatrment. :wally
I agree, though, that should it come to melee range, the gorilla’s dead, although it at least isn’t quite as disparate as human vs. bear. For what it’s worth, though, both animals are omnivores. Small comfort for the ape.
I’d bet on the bear. I doubt that the gorilla would actually try throwing heavy things at the bear (or do so accurately enough if he did). I hear that one swipe with a bear’s claw can decapitate a human. Bears are really, really strong, and probably have a better reach.
I would give it to the bear on account of its claws. They are long and very sharp and could literally just scoop your guts right out in one swipe. Now, if the bear was declawed, we would have a different ball game. With only its girth and its teeth to defend itself, I think a bear might lose to the strength and intelligence of the gorilla.
