Gorilla vs Snake: Who Would Win in a Fight?

Snakes live all over the world. Some of them crush their prey to death while others use potent venom to write an end to their foes. Gorillas live in Africa, a continent that is known for its numerous species of venomous snakes. In the wild, gorillas tend to avoid snakes entirely. That doesn’t mean we can’t wonder what would happen if we had a gorilla vs snake battle? Would snakes come out on top or would gorillas?

We are going to take a multi-faceted approach to determine which of these creatures would walk away from the fight alive from a battle. To make it fair, we’re going to use a generalized approach to snakes’ capabilities to see how the optimal snake would fare against a gorilla. Discover how this mammal measures up to the reptile!

Comparing a Gorilla and a Snake

The Key Factors in a Fight Between a Gorilla and a Snake

A battle between a gorilla and snake would almost certainly come down to the size of their bodies, their strength, and the means they use to kill their prey. We’re going to examine several facets of physical features and then explore the combat skills of each creature, giving you a well-rounded look at the contestants.

Physical Features of a Gorilla and a Snake

Any fight between two creatures will be affected by the physical features of each. In this case, we have a large, heavy primate vs a reptile that can be a few inches long to 30ft long. Take a look at their physical features and learn which creature has the most advantages.

Gorilla vs Snake: Size

Gorillas are very large animals, weighing over 400lbs and standing about 5ft tall. The largest gorilla ever recorded weighed an astounding 860 pounds!

The vast majority of snakes are merely 3ft in length or less and weigh about 20lbs. Of course, much larger snakes exist, like the anaconda and reticulated python which both battle for the title of the biggest snake on Earth.

For the sake of averages, though, the gorilla is much larger.

Gorillas are larger than most snakes.

Gorilla vs Snake: Speed and Movement

The average speed that snakes achieve over the land is about 1-3mph, and that comes by slithering along the ground. Gorillas can run upwards of 25mph, and they use knucklewalking to help them achieve that speed.

Gorillas’ movement is very fast, giving them the speed advantage.  

Gorilla vs Snake: Bite Power and Teeth

Snakes do not have a lot of biting power, but we all know that what’s inside counts the most. Some snakes can inject their foes with deadly venom that results in organ failure and death. In fact, they kill tens of thousands of human beings each year by doing so.

Gorillas have a very deadly bite force that drives their large fangs into their foes with 1,300PSI. That’s strong enough to break bones and leave devastating puncture wounds.

Gorillas have a much more powerful bite, so they have the advantage.   

Gorilla vs Snake: Senses

Snakes are ambush predators, waiting for their prey to come along and then killing them. They need some good senses to do that, including their specialized heat-sensing pits and a good sense of smell.

Gorillas have human-like senses, giving them good eyesight, a reasonable sense of smell, and decent hearing.

Gorillas have better overall senses, but snakes have the heat-sensing x-factor, so this area is a tie.

Gorilla vs Snake: Physical Defenses

A snake’s best defenses are its ability to hide in small places and bright colors that warn potential predators that the snake is venomous (or just pretending to be). Gorillas are very large and swift creatures, willing to bluff charge and use a terrifying threat display to tell other creatures to stay away.

Gorillas have fewer successful predators, so their defenses get the edge.

Combat Skills of a Gorilla and a Snake

Snakes can kill in two ways: venom and constriction. Both are very deadly forms of attack. A large constrictor snake can take down large prey and venom can do the same, often killing creatures ten times bigger than the reptile.

Gorillas kill with sheer power, ripping and tearing their enemies asunder or killing them with deep, powerful bites. Gorillas attack with incredible ferocity, lashing out against whatever is doing them harm. The strength of a gorilla is hard to understate; they can lift several times their body weight.

What Are Key Differences Between a Gorilla and a Snake?

Gorillas are large mammals living in sub-Saharan Africa, and snakes vary in size and live on all continents except Antarctica. Snakes are ambush predators, but gorillas are herbivores for the most part and lack predatory means.

Gorillas are habitually bipedal while snakes slither with their entire body on the ground. Although both creatures use teeth to kill their foes, they both have other means of inflicting damage, too.  

Who Would Win in a Fight Between a Gorilla and a Snake?

A gorilla would win a fight against a snake in the vast majority of cases. If a snake smaller than 10ft long or so attacked a gorilla as a constrictor, the gorilla would bite it to death or tear it apart. A gorilla bitten by a venomous snake would most likely attack and kill the creature before succumbing to its venom.

Even in the cases of a large anaconda, a gorilla is so powerful that it would probably crush the anaconda’s skull and end the threat before the anaconda could completely wrap around it. Gorillas are fast and ferocious in combat, so it’s hard for a snake to take them by surprise and meaningfully attack them.

In a specific ambush situation, a snake could kill a gorilla, of course. A quick bite from a deadly venomous snake followed up by fleeing or a situation where a gorilla is attacked from the water by a large python or anaconda would be much more difficult for the mammal to fend off.

Yet, the most likely outcome is the gorilla winning the fight immediately.

Could a Gorilla Defeat a Hippo in a Fight?

Gorillas may make easy work of putting most species of snakes to shame, but if they found themselves in a confrontation with a hippopotamus it would be a very different story. With 2 inch thick skin, an 1800 psi bite force and up to 4000 lbs of sheer immovable mass, hippos make it nearly impossible for any creature to come away from a brawl in one piece, gorillas included. Even though gorillas may possess larger teeth, greater speed, and stronger senses, these attributes offer them little help when put up against a hippo. Though they move slowly and have relatively weak senses, hippos make up for it with the sheer power and size they possess. No matter how hard a gorilla were to try, its efforts would be useless once the hippo attacked. Given their extremely territorial and aggressive nature, a hippo would be ruthless in its onslaught against the gorilla, which is a typically easygoing creature by comparison.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jeff W. Jarrett/Shutterstock.com