| Gorilla | Crocodile |
|---|---|
|
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| Wins 25.60% of 1k fights | Wins 74.40% of 1k fights |
Crocodiles and gorillas are among my favorite animals in the world. Crocodiles are masters of ambush, while gorillas excel in hand-to-hand combat as well as intelligence. If these two alphas met face-to-face, the battle would be one for the record books.
To figure out who would win between a gorilla and a crocodile, we'll need to examine each animal's size, strength, aggression, techniques, intelligence, and more. So, without further ado, let's dive into the battle between the mighty ape and Godzilla's little brother.
Gorillas are freakishly strong. They are nearly 10 times as strong as the strongest human and possess a powerful bite force. But, as impressive as a gorilla is, its strength pales in comparison to a crocodile. Fully grown Nile crocodiles can snatch a water buffalo weighing up to 2,200 pounds from a riverbank with ease.
Crocs don't really have large pecs, delts, or any of the conventional muscles we humans have, so a strength comparison between them and gorillas is not apples to apples. But, when it comes to overall feats of strength, there are few animals that can top the utter nonsense crocodiles pull when it's dinnertime. The strength advantage goes to the crocodile.
Gorillas have big, powerful arms, but they clearly skipped leg day. As such, they rely on 'knuckle walking' as their primary means of locomotion. This gives them four points of contact with the ground, allowing them to be temporarily quadrupedal.
Crocodiles have super short, stumpy, relatively weak legs that are nearly useless on land. If it came down to a foot race, the gorilla—and possibly your grandmother—could outpace a crocodile. In the water, however, the tables turn drastically.
God spec'd crocodilian builds to be especially adept in the water. Their bodies are super streamlined, and they almost have serpentine movement in the water, enabling quick and agile bursts of speed. Gorillas were not built for that aquatic life and wouldn't last a minute in the water with a croc chomping at them.
Gorillas cannot naturally swim and tend to avoid deep waters. One look at their build, and you can see why they wouldn't be able to stay afloat for long. These are smart animals and avoid deep water at all costs. In captivity, however, there have been some documented cases of gorillas learning to swim.
This, of course, is the exception and not the rule. Wild gorillas would almost certainly perish if they ventured into the deep waters that crocodiles like to hunt in.
Due to gorillas' natural fear of water, they probably wouldn't venture into the croc's territory to start any beef. But, if a crocodile was in shallow enough water that a gorilla might visit for a drink, a conflict may ensue. There are no documented cases of the two dueling, but Fantasy Brawls has come up with a scenario that may put the two at odds. And spoiler alert: the croc is the one who will instigate the battle.
Ambush hunters like crocodiles are generally more aggressive than herbivores, with a notable exception being the chubby sociopath, also known as the hippo. Gorillas can be territorial but generally do not go out of their way to harm other animals.
They prefer to live peacefully, whereas crocs almost exclusively choose violence on a daily basis. Now, being overly aggressive isn't always an advantage, but in the crocodile's case, it certainly is. So, in terms of aggression, the edge goes to the roid-raging croc.
In the Fantasy Brawls battle arena, the crocodile and gorilla will throw down in Central Africa, specifically the Congo Basin. This area is home to both animals and would be the most likely place an encounter would take place. We'll explore two scenarios here:
Well...as you may have guessed, if the gorilla is attacked by the croc and dragged into the water, it will certainly die. It doesn't matter if he's the biggest silverback on the planet—once the ape hits deep water, he's just a muscle-bound meatloaf for the cold-blooded assassin.
The gorilla may stand a slight chance if it can somehow prevent the croc from dragging it into deep water. If the fight takes place in waist-deep water, the gorilla may be able to land a decisive blow on the croc's head or use its powerful jaws to pierce the crocodile's skull.
But in most cases, water fights spell certain doom for the peaceful primate.
On land, the fight is totally different. Gorillas are smart animals, so they should be able to deduce that the most dangerous part of the croc is its teeth. Given the gorilla's agility, it should be able to dodge the slow strikes the croc will be throwing on land.
Another factor that will work against the croc in a land fight is stamina. Big reptiles like crocs use a ton of energy to move in the water and even more on land, where they have to support the full weight of their monstrous bodies.
When crocodilians exert themselves too much, they build up a ton of lactic acid, which results in them needing significant recovery time. Crocs can tolerate high levels of lactic acid better than most, but it's still a major contributing factor to their lack of stamina.
Gorillas, on the other hand, have the stamina to outlast the croc on land, and after several well-placed strikes with their mighty fists, the croc will succumb. The place on the croc most likely to be fatally struck is the base of its head.
The winner largely depends on where the fight takes place. If it's on land, the gorilla wins, but in the water, the croc takes it. But if I were a betting man, I'd put it all on the crocodile, as it's much more likely that a fight would take place in the water after an ambush attack.
The gorilla took the L here, but if you'd like to see how your favorite ape fares in another battle, head over to the Silverback Gorilla vs Grizzly Bear battle. And for more primate-themed action, find out what happens when a baboon and a chimp meet on the battlefield.
Posted by: Matt Irving on 09/09/2024
