Discover Who Emerges Victorious In An Epic Silverback Gorilla Vs. Lion Battle

What happens in a silverback gorilla vs. lion battle? It’s time to find out!

The silverback gorilla can lift nearly 2,000 pounds, has a deadly punch, and can crush bones with a single bite. Lions are experienced hunters with razor-sharp claws. Both competitors are large and strong, but who will have what it takes to walk away a winner?

Follow along as we compare the key similarities and differences to discover which species has the top advantage.

Silverback Gorilla

Our first competitor is the silverback gorilla, a smart and strong fighter! A fully matured silverback is nine times stronger than a human. Silverback refers to the dominant males because of the silver-gray coloration resembling a saddle on their backs. Gorillas around 12 years old mature enough to develop the iconic saddle.

Gorillas are also highly intelligent. They’re one of the primates closely related to humans, next to bonobos and chimpanzees. They’re smart enough to use tools like sticks to determine water depth before crossing a river. But will they be smart enough to outwit a lion?

Lion

Pounce, bite, swipe; lions have all sorts of attacks! These big cats are apex predators, thanks to their size, strength, and predatory skills. Sometimes lions hunt. Other times, they steal their meals. About 50% of a lion’s diet is scavenged.

Silverback Gorilla Vs. Lion Battle Chart

The silverback gorilla vs. lion battle will compare competitors’ size, speed, attack abilities, and lifestyle. Both of our competitors are big and bad, and they’ll go all out to protect members of their group. But who will have what it takes to walk away the champion? Let’s kick off this animal battle and find out!

Round 1: Size And Speed

Being large alone won’t be enough to win this fight. The champion will also need enough speed to launch an attack with force.

Gorillas weigh 430 pounds on average. They grow 5 feet tall and have a 9-foot wide arm span. They usually use knuckle-walking to get around but can also walk upright.

Lions can’t stand up like their primate competitor, so they’re much shorter. These big cats have a shoulder height of 3 to 4 feet. With an average length of 4.5 to 8 feet, lions usually weigh between 250 and 500 pounds.

Lions have a top speed of 50 mph! They usually chase after prey at speeds of 35 mph, speeding up as they close in. In contrast, the gorilla’s top speed is only 25 mph.

Round 2: Attack Abilities

Lions are all about slashing and biting, while gorillas rely on their strength to eliminate threats.

Silverback gorillas aren’t naturally aggressive creatures. As herbivores, they spend much of their time eating large volumes of plant matter and resting in the jungle. These primates only get heated in response to a threat or to maintain dominance. Their tendency to fight to maintain social status is one of the reasons silverbacks are so big.

Large body size is a common evolutionary trait in species that use fighting to assert dominance. The larger fighter wins and lives on to reproduce. When a silverback gorilla’s threatened, it’ll stand upright, reaching a height as tall as 8 feet! Then the primate will begin pounding on its broad chest and bearing its sharp teeth. Intimidation is the name of the game for these primates. They make a lot of noise, look fierce, and aren’t afraid to back up their threats.

The strength-to-weight ratio of the silverback gorilla makes them one of the strongest animals alive. Their strength is around 10 times the amount of their weight. They also have an impressive bite force that can deliver 1,300 PSI of damage.

Meanwhile, an average lion’s bite force is around 1,000 PSI, which is still strong enough to crack bones and rip flesh. And while this big cat might not be as strong as a gorilla, it knows how to take down large prey.

Lions are known for suffocating their prey to death. They grab a hold with their 1.5 inch sharp claws and dig deep into the flesh. Then they bite down on the neck, blocking the airway and sometimes severing the spinal cord.

Along with their deadly bites, our competitors can throw powerful punches. Lions have a powerful swipe force ranging from 4,500 to over 20,000 pounds! Gorillas have an incredible punch force of 2,700 pounds. These muscly fighters are strong enough to knock the other one out with a single blow!

Round 3: Lifestyle

The last round of this battle will decide who becomes the champion.

Both competitors are incredibly social and will do anything to defend members of their group. Silverback gorillas live in large groups called troops. These troops consist mainly of females, with a few males. The ratio of males to females is one to four. And one of the males is the leader.

The leading male gorilla is the only one who can mate with the females. They’ll fight to the death if anyone challenges their status. Living in this social setting provides enough protection for these primates to live over 40 years in the wild.

Lions also live in groups called prides. Prides can have as few as three members. But sometimes, they grow much more significant. Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park has a super pride with 22 feline members. Like the troops that gorillas live in, prides only have one leading male. The rest of the group is made up of lionesses, who do the majority of the hunting.

Both competitors have the protection of a group and know how to assert their dominance. Now, let’s determine the winner!

Who Is The Winner?

The lion wins this animal showdown. The competitor pounces into the ring at a speed of 50 mph! The gorilla never stood a chance of outrunning it since its species can only reach top speeds of 25 miles per hour.

Digging his claws into the gorilla’s back, the lion bites down on the neck to block the airway. Enraged by the sting of the lion’s claws and fangs, the gorilla reacts without thinking. He reaches back and throws the big cat off him. The throw is enough to stun the lion, but it isn’t long before he was back on his feet. It turns out that throwing the lion was the gorilla’s biggest mistake!

If the gorilla held on to the lion, it could crush its skull with a bite force of 1,300 PSI. Or he could punch his feline competitor with a punch force of 2,700 pounds. But instead, the angry primate throws the lion far away.

Once the lion recovers from the throw, he returns and launches a jugular attack. More determined than ever, the lion holds on, using the slow hold strangulation technique he’s practiced on so many other animals.

What a heated battle! The lion definitely walked away with some bruises, but he’s the champion. Congratulations to team Cat!

Can a Human Defeat a Gorilla With His Bare Hands?

How likely would it be for a human to defeat a gorilla if an attack occurred? You’d need to compare the two on multiple levels. For instance, the average weight of a human is 130-199 lbs, while a gorilla’s average weight is 220-440 lbs. In height, a human stands taller at 5’3” to 5’9” vs a gorilla at 4.4 to 5.1 feet tall.

Humans can run at a top speed of 27.5 mph for a short distance, while gorillas can run 25 mph, but are more agile through their knucklewalking. In combat, humans can deliver kicks, punches, strangleholds, and bites comparable to canine force. However, gorillas can lift up to 1,800 lbs, deliver stronger open-handed punches, and deliver terrible bites with a bite force of 1,300 PSI. Their sharp fangs can tear flesh.

Humans would have an edge with intelligence, maneuvering skills, and a keen sense of sight and hearing, while gorillas could be scared away with tactics of intimidation, but have a keen sense of smell and tough skin that’s hard to puncture. Given these comparisons, it’s safe to say that a gorilla could overpower and kill a human if it really wanted to.

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