How a Gorilla’s Body Adds to their Strength
How strong are gorillas? Much of a gorilla’s strength can be attributed to its large body size. Wild male gorillas weigh between 300 and 500 pounds on average and females weigh between 150 and 250 pounds. The large difference in size between males and females is an example of sexual dimorphism. Sexual dimorphism is a natural phenomenon where males and females of the same species have very distinct characteristics such as size or coloration. This is very common in the animal kingdom and especially amongst primates. ©AB Photographie/Shutterstock.com ©AB Photographie/Shutterstock.com When male gorillas reach a certain level of maturity, generally 12 years of age, they start moving in to a new category called the silverbacks. Obviously, they are named this because of the silver coloration on their back. Because of their age the silverback gorilla’s strength is generally stronger than the younger and much older apes in an area. Of the great apes, orangutans and gorillas are the largest and are both exceptionally strong. These two apes, however, move around very differently which has had substantial influence on their body structures over evolutionary time. Since orangutans move around by hanging and swinging on branches, also known as brachiation, they have developed specialized shoulder joints and unique muscle distribution. Gorillas have adaptations for quadrupedal locomotion, which is walking on four limbs. As a result, gorillas have joints capable of stable terrestrial movement, and very muscular hindlimbs for weight-bearing and propulsion. Both orangutans and gorillas in these examples demonstrate how everyday functionality affects structure over time. The way they walk therefore has greatly influenced their musculature and how strong gorillas are. Click for more on functional adaptations in gorillas. How strong is a gorilla compared to an orangutan? The average weight of a gorilla is almost twice that of an orangutan–400lbs vs. 200lbs. Gorillas are also much faster than orangutans in terms of ground speed, reaching running speeds of up to 25mph, while the latter only runs 2-3 mph. The gorilla’s bite force is also highly powerful, clocking at 1,300PSI of force. The orangutan’s bite is actually less powerful than a human’s, so it does not come close to that of a gorilla. And in a physical fight, an orangutan may bite or hit an opponent with an object. But a gorilla is capable of lifting over 1000lbs, punching, pulling, and throwing its enemies. So its safe to say that a gorilla is a much stronger creature than an orangutan.
What do Gorillas Eat to Get So Strong?
Gorillas must eat a lot of meat to fuel such size and strength, right? Surprisingly, gorillas are primarily herbivores. There is some variation in diet amongst the different gorilla subspecies, but their diets typically include foliage, fruit, and other plant material. The leaves and foliage that gorillas rely on are low in nutrients so the must eat a large volume to meet their needs. Eastern and western lowland gorillas also occasionally eat ants and termites. ©iStock.com/nantonov ©iStock.com/nantonov
The Most Weight Ever Lifted by a Gorilla
So, how strong is a gorilla? According to the Guinness World Records, the most weight a gorilla is on record lifting is 1,800 pounds! Some hypotheses have suggested that gorillas can lift up to 10 times their bodyweight. To put that into perspective, the average American male can lift 0.87 time his bodyweight. ©Onyx9/Shutterstock.com ©Onyx9/Shutterstock.com
What are Some Other Strong Animals?
Many other animals are exceptionally strong relative to their size. The leafcutter ant, for example, can carry loads up to 50 times its body weight! These ants use their strength to cut leaves that they bring back to their colonies. Oxen have historically been very important to the agricultural industry because individually they have a towing capacity of 1,680 pounds. Elephants are the strongest of all in the animal kingdom and can lift up to 19,800 pounds! ©iStock.com/saha_avijan ©iStock.com/saha_avijan
How are Gorillas Doing Today?
All subspecies of gorillas are in grave danger today. Mountain gorillas are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list. Western and eastern lowland gorillas, and Cross River gorillas are categorized as critically endangered. “Critically endangered” is the most severe status before extinction in the wild and total extinction. The western gorilla is more populous than the eastern gorilla, however, the number of individuals in the wild is very low. ©Asaf Weizman/Shutterstock.com ©Asaf Weizman/Shutterstock.com Gorillas face the major threat of poaching- being intentionally hunted and killed or unintentionally killed by traps set for other animals. Habitat destruction, disease, and war also have heavy effects on gorilla populations. In times of civil unrest, refugees have turned to bushmeat for sustenance and gorillas, as well as other apes, have suffered as a result. Because gorillas are so closely related to humans, they can suffer from different diseases transmitted by humans. In 2004, Ebola ravaged gorillas in Republic of Congo effectively eliminating the population there. Recent estimates suggest as many as 5,000 gorillas have died from Ebola. Different conservation efforts are in place that have had many positive impacts. There used to be fewer than 880 mountain gorillas alive, but in 2018 they were reclassified from critically endangered to endangered as their population grew past 1,000 individuals. Breeding programs in various zoos attempt to repopulate both species directly. Organizations and laws also exist to protect gorillas. The Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) aims to conserve all nonhuman great apes including gorillas. Also, the Gorilla Agreement is legislation that targets gorilla conservation specifically.
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