The male silverback gorilla, while often mellow by nature, can be a ferocious beast. Weighing up to 440 pounds and measuring five to 10 times stronger than a human, he has fiercely strong arms and almost no body fat. The fast-twitch fibres in his jaw deliver remarkable bursts of raw power, producing a bite force higher than even a lion鈥檚.
His much smaller relative, the chimpanzee, has been known to rip off fingers and faces. Imagine what a gorilla could do. Imagine what he could do to you.
This is the crux of a viral question that has dominated internet circles in recent days: In a fight between one gorilla and 100 men, who would win?
It is the perfect bar stool hypothetical and a stance either way is, certainly, unprovable. Still, the Star turned to two primatologists, a five-time Canadian jiu jitsu champion, a part-time stuntman and a sociologist to try to get an answer 鈥 and simultaneously understand why, after hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, we are still fascinated by the prospect of a battle with one of our closest relatives.
No one can quite agree whose side to take.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a contest,鈥 said Ian Colquhoun, a retired primatology professor at Western University. 鈥淗umans will win.鈥
鈥淭he gorilla isn鈥檛 tapping out,鈥 countered Joel Gerson, a Canadian jiu jitsu champion and the owner of Revolution MMA & Fitness in North York. 鈥淗e鈥檚 going to beat you with your own arms, which he ripped off.鈥
Online, the parameters of such a fight are unclear. Is it a fight to the death, or just to exhaustion? Are the 100 people a random sampling of the population, or a group of highly-skilled fighters? Is this battle in a UFC octagon, a wide-open plain or the forests of Rwanda? Are improvised weapons 鈥 such as rocks and sticks 鈥 permitted?
For this thought experiment, the rule book will be minimal. After all, any parameters must be explained to an ape.
鈥淭he rules meeting in this one is getting thrown out the window,鈥 Gerson said. 鈥淐an human limbs be used as improvised weapons by the gorilla? And if not, who鈥檚 going to tell the gorilla? Not me!鈥
The case for the gorilla
According to David Begun, a professor at the University of 海角社区官网who studies the evolution of great apes, humans would be at an immediate disadvantage. We are a 鈥渄omesticated version of our ancestors,鈥 Begun said, and 鈥渜uite weak.鈥 Our bones are slender and not strongly developed.
And we pale in comparison to the gorilla. Heavier than all but the biggest NFL linebackers, and certainly more agile, they have two-inch long canine teeth and defend themselves in the wild. Look no further than the chimpanzee 鈥 which on rare occasions has mauled humans, leaving them in critical condition 鈥 to see what something more than twice its size could do.
鈥淚n a group of 100 guys,鈥 Begun said, 鈥渢he first 10 guys are going to be in pretty bad shape.鈥
Humans are a “domesticated version of our ancestors” and would be an an immediate disadvantage, professor David Begun said.
Steve Russell/海角社区官网Star file photoThen there鈥檚 the fear factor. In a battle where the first fighters get punched into putty, those still alive may no longer run eagerly into the quarrel.
鈥淲hen humans see other humans getting ripped to shreds, you have to understand, there鈥檚 no guarantee they鈥檙e going to go in,鈥 Gerson said. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 probably have to have their children as ransom or something so they鈥檇 agree to do it.鈥
That鈥檚 why Gerson is on the gorilla鈥檚 side. Unless he鈥檚 fighting alongside 99 Brazilian jiu jitsu brown or black belts, he is sure the humans will lose.
The case for the humans
Jerry Oei is less certain. The training director at Xtreme Couture in Etobicoke and a part-time stuntman, Oei believes he can win the fight with just 40 average men 鈥 provided they are 鈥減sychologically prepared for what we鈥檙e up against鈥 and 鈥渨illing to die.鈥
His justification? Humans鈥 greatest strength: intelligence and the ability to work together.
The human brain is the largest and most complex of any living primate, and three times larger than that of a gorilla. It is an asset that proved hugely advantageous as early humans evolved, helping us with social interactions and dealing with unfamiliar habitats, according to the Smithsonian Museum.
And while Oei admits 鈥渟ome of these guys are not coming home to their wives,鈥 he believes our brains and sheer numbers tilt the odds in our favour. Send a few 鈥渟uicide berserkers鈥 to pin the gorilla down, Oei said, and eventually, the humans will win.
Begun, the University of 海角社区官网professor, envisioned a similar scenario.
鈥淚f 100 people really decided that they definitely wanted to subdue a gorilla,鈥 he said, 鈥渢hey could probably do it by taking turns, by strategizing, by exhausting the gorilla, even if they didn鈥檛 have any tools.鈥
And if humans can use improvised weapons like rocks and sticks, Colquhoun, the retired primatology professor, believes it would only take six to 10 people to win.
It should be noted that humans, albeit with weapons, have done this successfully for years. Populations of both eastern and western gorillas have been decreasing for decades, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and both are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
On Tuesday, after inspiring generations of visitors with his playful personality, his artwork
Why do we care?
To Jillian Sunderland, a sociologist at the University of 海角社区官网who researches masculinity, violence and social media, this viral debate is interesting for another reason. It points to the desire to have something non-political to talk about, something with 鈥渓ow political stakes鈥 that won鈥檛 become hyperpolarized, like everything else.
That being said, she has her opinions.
鈥淚 thought,鈥 Sunderland said, 鈥渢he gorilla would win.鈥
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