| Lion | Gorilla |
|---|---|
|
|
| Wins 74.30% of 1k fights | Wins 25.70% of 1k fights |
In a one-on-one battle, an African lion would defeat a Silverback Gorilla. The gorilla, while strong, does not have nearly as many weapons as the lion., nor is it as big.
In this matchup, the terrain and weather do not play as large a role as it did in the lion vs tiger bout. Both animals live in a similar climate; thus, they have similar tolerances to both heat and cold.
Gorillas are super strong, with most experts agreeing that they are at least 10 times stronger than the average human. So, since I can bench press around 345 pounds, a gorilla is easily lifting over 3,000 pounds for reps.
Lions are not as strong as gorillas if we are speaking in terms of traditional strength. They don't have arms, so they don't lift much of anything.
Their strength, however, lies in their explosivity. Lions run fast enough, and with enough power to topple a 1,200 water buffalo. However, overall, the edge in raw power and feats of strength go to the mighty Silverback.
The lion has an impressive bite force of 650 pounds per square inch. But the gorilla has an insance 1,300 psi bite force. An African lion is severely outclassed when it comes to bite strength alone.
The gorilla's bite force surpasses the hyena's and puts it in the neighborhood of the baddest animal in Africa, the hippo.
In terms of speed, the lion leaves the gorilla in the dust. Lions max out at around 40 mph and can sustain that speed for a short amount of time. Gorillas, on the other can barely run as they have longer arms than legs.
Quadrapedal animals have four points of contact with the ground, unlike us bipedal creatures. This allows for greater speed and control of movement.
Lions are more agile than gorillas. The great apes are built for power, not agility, whereas lions have evolved to change direction quickly, at high speeds.
This adaptation has enabled them to capture fast prey and win fights with hyenas and other competitors. It also makes them a beast on the battlefield.
A gorilla is, without question, smarter than a lion. The big cats aren't dumb, but gorillas are one of the smartest animals around.
Their intelligence is said to be on par with that of a four-year-old child, and there have been many cases of gorillas learning to communicate via American Sign Language. I'm a pretty well-educated adult, and I found ASL impossible to learn.
It's undeniable that gorillas are smarter than lions, but could that intelligence save them in a fight against the King of the Jungle? Keep on reading to find out!
By the time it reaches adulthood, a lion has a higher fight IQ than a gorilla. From the moment they are cubs, lions are trained to fight and hunt. Life is hard for a lion cub, with only 1 in 8 cubs surviving to adulthood.
Gorillas don't have it very easy, but they don't have to fight and hunt nearly as much as lions do. For example, the gorilla's main food sources are leaves and stems.
Meanwhile, lions dine on some of the world's fastest and most dangerous animals. Lions also have more rival predators to contend with. The worst of which is the hyena.
Hyenas often outnumber lion prides, and they eat some of the same food, so conflicts are often. In addition, male lions are constantly having to defend their territory from other lions. Fights will often only end when another lion dies.
Gorillas, on the other hand, have fights among themselves, but seldom do they ever result in death. In most cases, gorillas will back down after displays of strength are shown. Thus, no real fights will take place.
Given that gorillas live relatively peaceful lives (as long as humans aren't involved), their fight IQ is underdeveloped compared to the lions, who lead a savage life from birth.
The edge for weaponary and defense go to the lion hands down. Gorillas are awesome but in this battle, they are essentially just really strong humans with below average intelligence.
Male lions have very thick manes that make it difficult to grab their necks. They have long, sharp claws that can rip through flesh with ease. In addition to this, they're abundantly faster, heavier, and more agile.
All of these traits combined with the animal's natural killer instinct make winning nearly impossible for the gorilla. There is, however, a chance for the gorilla to win.
A gorilla can beat a lion under two circumstances; if the lion is alone and the gorilla can get its hands on a weapon. Great apes have been known to use all sorts of tools to solve problems.
Its not too much of a stretch to think they are capable of grabbing a large enough boulder and hurling it at an attacker. Given their massive strength a gorilla, in theory, could simply drop a large rock onto the lion and crush them.
This is, of course, assuming it can sneak up on the lion, given the latter has the animal equivalent of a "Spidey Sense".
The gorilla definitely loses the bout against the lion, but they don't have to lose their homes to deforestation. Every year, we encroach more and more upon the gorilla's homeland.
This not only removes the gorilla's habitat and food source, it makes human and gorilla conflicts more likely. Encounters like these almost always result in the gorilla losing. While not as endangered as gorillas, lions also need our help as they are currently listed as vulnerable by the World Wildlife Fund.
Let's do our best to leave these animals and their natural habitats alone. Instead of approaching them in the wild or hunting them down for sport, let's continue to learn about them through sites like mine.
Posted by: Matt Irving on 04/17/2024
