Elephants are renowned for their long memories and massive size. It’s easy to look at them from afar and think of them as gentle giants. Yet, elephants can be dangerous. Today, we’re going to imagine that a human stumbles across an elephant in the wild. Would an unarmed human beat an elephant in a fight? Would the human stand any chance at all with its amazing intellect?
We’re going to examine this scenario using statistics about both creatures and research about animal behaviors. For the sake of this fight, we’ll imagine that the elephant has a reason to be angry at the person. Otherwise, it may not realize that the human has hostile intentions and could just walk on by while the person impotently strikes it.
Comparing an Unarmed Human and an Elephant
| Unarmed Human | Elephant | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Weight: from 130 to 200 pounds on average Height: from 5 feet and 3 inches tall to 5 feet and 9 inches tall | Weight: from 6,500 to 12,000 pounds on average Height: from 7 to 12 feet at the shoulder Length: from 18 to 21 feet |
| Speed | – The average fit human runs at speeds up to 8 mph – The fastest person can run over 20 mph over very short distances | – Can charge at speeds of 9 to 15 mph |
| Defenses | – Humans have great endurance to outrun and outlast some other animals – Few physical defenses when they lack armor, housing, or other equipment for safety – Human intelligence allows people to outsmart other animals, giving them an edge | – Powerful senses help elephants identify threats so they can act quickly – Massive bodies help elephants stay safe – A fully grown elephant is incredibly hard to take down because of its sheer size and strength – Tough, thick skin reduces the effectiveness of attacks |
| Offensive Capabilities | – Humans can deliver various striking attacks – The true power of humans lies in their ability to make weapons – Humans have a bite force of less than 200 PSI along with inconsequential teeth | – Some elephants can use tusks to impale enemies – Elephants can use their head or trunk to knock an enemy over – Can easily stomp large animals to death |
| Predatory Behavior | – Without tools, humans would rely on an ambush in many fights or simply wear down and kill prey | – No predatory instincts but can react to attacks |
What Are the Key Factors in a Fight Between an Unarmed Human and an Elephant?
The only factors that truly matter in this particular fight are size and power, whether the two mammals are big enough and strong enough to inflict damage on the other. We’re going to explore this situation completely, though. That’s why we’re going to look at other things like speed, predatory behavior, and defenses.
That way, you know that we’ve done due diligence in this fight. With that said, let’s start breaking down this battle.
Unarmed Human vs. Elephant: Size
Elephants are larger than humans.
©Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock.com
An elephant has the size advantage in this fight. The average elephant can range in size from 7 to 12 feet tall at the shoulder, as long as 21 feet, and weigh anywhere from 6,500 pounds to 12,000 pounds.
A human is incredibly small to them. The average person stands less than 6 feet tall and weighs about 200 pounds or less. This is important in the fight because the larger animal usually wins unless the smaller animal has an exceptionally powerful offensive toolkit. We’ll get to that factor soon. Needless to say, things look good for the elephant.
Unarmed Human vs. Elephant: Speed
The average person can run at speeds between 6.5 and 8 mph, but exceptional people can run over 20 mph for very short distances. An elephant can run at speeds of between 9 and 15 mph when charging, but they often move at far slower speeds. A human probably cannot outrun a charging elephant unless they are a very exceptional runner or the elephant decides to give up its chase.
Unarmed Human vs. Elephant: Defenses
Elephants have far better defenses than humans. They have exceptional senses of smelling and hearing that tell them when other animals are approaching. Moreover, they have massive bodies, and they’re hard to bring down because of their size and strength. In fact, there may not be a land animal that can take one down alone.
Humans have rather poor defenses. They have exposed weak spots and few natural defenses. A human’s best defensive asset is their intelligence. That can be used to help them seek shelter, hide from prey, or use the terrain to their advantage against an adversary. That won’t help them much in this fight, though.
Unarmed Human vs. Elephant: Offensive Capabilities
Although humans are the most dangerous creatures in the history of the world, we are only so powerful because of our weapons. Without them, humans are relatively weak. After all, humans aren’t particularly strong.
Our punches, kicks, chokes, and bites are sufficient to kill smaller prey, but they are no good on larger animals. In this case, an unarmed human’s attack methods are basically laughable in the face of an elephant.
An elephant has many ways to attack. Any elephant with long enough tusks can gore enemies, running them through and causing severe internal damage. People have filmed elephants goring and tossing buffalo on the plains in many countries in Africa.
They can also charge after enemies and bowl them over with their heads and trunks. Once they’re on the ground, the elephant can simply trample them to death.
In short, elephants have a lot more offensive power than any human.
Unarmed Human vs. Elephant: Predatory Behavior
The only advantage that humans may have in this battle is predatory behavior. Humans have learned the arts of hunting, trapping, and killing animals, and they have passed that information down through generations. However, the average person these days isn’t going to know how to take down an elephant without a weapon. Even if they did, most people have not handled a weapon capable of taking down these massive creatures!
While elephants are not predatory, they will react if someone encroaches on their territory, especially if their young are around. With that in mind, humans have a better killing mindset, but it won’t do them any good without weapons.
Who Would Win in a Fight Between an Unarmed Human and an Elephant?
The elephant is too large and powerful for a human to harm without a weapon.
©JohnEGoodwin/Shutterstock.com
An unarmed human could not win a fight against an elephant. Simply put, the elephant is too large and powerful for a human to harm without a weapon. If the elephant regards the person as a threat, it will charge, gore, and stomp on the person until they’re dead.
If the person decides to go up to the elephant and pick a fight, the elephant may not even regard the human as much of a threat until the person has already struck the creature several times. The big mammal is not in any danger, though.
Once it gets the idea that the human wants to fight, it will chase the person off or kill them with ease. No human stands a chance against an enraged elephant without the aid of powerful weapons.
Up Next:
- Could an Unarmed Human Beat a Wolf?
- Could an Unarmed Human Beat a Pack of Rats?
- Could an Unarmed Human Beat an Alligator?
The photo featured at the top of this post is © JohnEGoodwin/Shutterstock.com
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