You Actually Think The Gorilla Has A Chance?

Summary

In this episode of North 2, the question of whether 100 unarmed humans could survive against a fully grown silverback gorilla is explored. This hypothetical scenario, which began as an absurd internet debate, is examined through a lens of scientific research, evolutionary perspective, and real-life accounts of gorilla attacks. The discussion highlights the physical prowess of gorillas, their anatomy, strength, and behavior, alongside the strategic and adaptive capabilities of humans in a survival scenario. Ultimately, it delves into the ways humans in groups might outlast a gorilla by tiring it out and employing collaborative tactics, echoing prehistoric encounters between early humans and giant primates.

Highlights

• The insane strength of gorillas, with their ability to bench over 4,000 lbs! 🏋️‍♂️
• Gorillas are built for explosive power with 85% fast-twitch muscle fibers. 💥
• Historic encounters between Homo erectus and giant apes could inspire Hollywood blockbusters! 🎬
• The curious reality that no gorilla has known to kill a human, despite their strength. 🧐
• Evolution has fashioned humans into the ultimate strategists and collaborators in survival scenarios. 🤔

Key Takeaways

• Gorillas are incredibly strong, with bench presses over 4,000 lbs, making them kings of the upper body strength jungle! 🦍
• Humans, despite being weaker individually, excel in group strategies that could outlast a gorilla's endurance. 🤼‍♂️
• Historical speculation suggests early humans might have encountered and strategically overcame giant primates. 📜
• Real-life gorilla attack accounts show they can be formidable but are not the vicious beasts of legend. 🦸‍♂️
• In the wild encounter, endurance and teamwork are key human advantages against a mighty gorilla. 👥

Overview

Imagine throwing 100 unarmed humans into an arena with a fully grown silverback gorilla. Who'd win? This wild thought experiment leads us down a rabbit hole of biology, strength, and human evolution. Gorillas are formidable in size and power, bench pressing astonishing weights, yet surprising us with their peaceful nature.

The video dives deep into gorilla anatomy and our evolutionary past, exploring how humans might strategize a win against such powerful primates. It turns out, our fast-thinking and tireless endurance could be game-changers. Far from mindless brawlers, humans in groups have strategies that could exhaust a gorilla into defeat.

Historical encounters between our ancestors and giant primates paint a vivid picture of survival and conquest. These speculative yet thrilling narratives show the human spirit's resilience and the tactical edge in prehistoric showdowns—sparking wonder about human evolution and our place in nature's pecking order.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction The introduction chapter presents a thought experiment about a fight between 100 unarmed men and a silverback gorilla in an arena. Though it seems like a humorous internet hypothetical scenario, it raises intriguing questions about physical strength and the boundaries of biology. The discussion notes that many have speculated on the outcome without adding substantive knowledge, suggesting the gorilla's strength is often underestimated.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Gorilla Anatomy and Strength The chapter "Gorilla Anatomy and Strength" explores the physical attributes that contribute to the immense power of gorillas. It delves into real-life incidents involving gorilla attacks on humans and the outcomes of these encounters. The discussion extends to hypothetical scenarios where 100 unarmed humans face a gorilla and questions their chances of survival or victory. Furthermore, the chapter touches on how ancient humans might have interacted with gigantopithecus and other large primates. This intriguing topic has recently gained popularity online, with numerous humorous posts circulating about the daunting prospect of facing such strong creatures in combat.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Human vs Gorilla Discussion The chapter delves into an intriguing hypothetical discussion comparing the physical capabilities of humans and gorillas in a fight. Originally sparked by humorous online posts, this topic soon gained traction for serious debate. Opinions are split between those who exaggerate the gorilla's strength to monstrous proportions, and those who favor human tactical advantage. The chapter emphasizes North O2's commitment to addressing such debates with scientific scrutiny, promising a factual exploration into both the gorilla's capabilities and human evolution.
• 03:00 - 05:00: Gorilla Strength Comparison with Humans The chapter discusses the exaggerated perception of gorilla size compared to reality, noting that gorillas are often thought to be massive, akin to AI-generated images of 10 feet tall and over 2,000 pounds. The reality is that the eastern lowland gorilla, the largest species, reaches weights between 330-460 pounds and heights around 5'11". The largest wild gorilla recorded weighed 589 pounds and was 6 feet tall, which is considered massive but still much smaller than fictionalized depictions. Additionally, the chapter highlights the impressive lean physique of gorillas.
• 05:00 - 07:00: Real-life Gorillas and Attack Accounts Wild gorillas maintain a low body fat percentage of about 5 to 15%, often even leaner than professional bodybuilders and fighters, who aim for around 4 to 8% body fat. This lean physique, combined with their massive size, contributes to their extraordinary upper body strength.
• 07:00 - 10:00: Gorillas: Behaviors and Misconceptions The chapter discusses the remarkable physical strength of gorillas, highlighting their ability to bench press over 4,000 lb, more than 20 times what an average human can lift. It also covers their pulling strength, with gorillas able to pull up to 1,800 lb using both arms – 12 times more than the average man can pull. This demonstrates the incredible functional strength of gorillas, supported by observations of their ability to hold their entire body weight with one arm while climbing.
• 10:00 - 15:00: Human Strategies in Hypothetical Fights This chapter explores the physical strength of gorillas in comparison to humans, particularly focusing on their lower body capabilities. While gorillas have significantly stronger upper bodies, their leg strength is also impressive, with estimates suggesting they could squat more than the heaviest weight recorded by a human. The average male's squat is about 220 lb, making the gorilla's leg strength four to five times greater. The discussion raises questions about how they compare to professional strongmen, who are known for their immense strength.
• 15:00 - 18:00: Prehistoric Encounters and Speculations This chapter explores the concept of human strength in comparison to that of large primates, notably gorillas. It highlights notable strongmen such as Haftdor Bjornson, known as 'the mountain,' and Eddie Hall. Points out their weight and strength metrics, noting they are significantly heavier and possibly stronger than average Eastern land gorillas. It challenges the perception of human physical limits by juxtaposing extraordinary human specimens with powerful animals.
• 18:00 - 19:00: Conclusion The conclusion chapter delves into the comparison of gorilla and human muscle strength and composition. It highlights that while gorillas aren't as adept at activities like bench pressing compared to humans, they possess unparalleled upper body strength due to their muscle anatomy. Gorillas have an astounding 85% fast-twitch muscle fibers, granting them explosive power, which is significantly higher than in humans. This anatomical difference accounts for their exceptional strength.

You Actually Think The Gorilla Has A Chance? Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Imagine this. 100 grown men, no armor, no weapons, thrown into an arena with a fully grown silverback gorilla. Who walks out? It sounds like a ridiculous internet thought experiment, and it totally is. But behind the absurdity lies a ton of legitimately interesting questions about strength and the brutal limits of biology. I have seen dozens of people talk about this fight, mostly being bros who don't offer any actual knowledge to the discussion. A gorilla all day. Every tooth is like this big, bro. Every tooth is like this big.
• 00:30 - 01:00 So, we'll discuss the anatomy that makes them so strong and the actual accounts of gorillas attacking humans and what resulted. Just how powerful is a gorilla really? Is there any realistic way that a 100 unarmed humans could survive or let alone win? And how did ancient humans fare when coming across gigantopithecus and other giant primates? Let's find out today on this episode of North 2. This trend appeared on the internet only last week with thousands of hilarious posts about how screwed the first people to fight the
• 01:00 - 01:30 gorilla would be. I found this one particularly funny, but these humorous posts led to actual discussions about how such a fight would go down. The general theme was half of the people thinking gorillas were some kind of superhuman King Kong creatures and the other half pointing out how capable a 100 people would be. But here on North O2, we use serious scientific research to evaluate questions about human evolution. And it is time this hypothetical fight received some serious thought. First, let's get the facts straight about gorillas. The AI photos that have been going around show
• 01:30 - 02:00 gorillas to be massive, like 10 ft tall and over 2,000 lb. Probably. Gorillas aren't nearly this size. The eastern lowland gorilla is the largest species. Males weigh between 330 to 460 lb and stand around 5'11. The largest wild gorilla ever recorded was 589 lb and 6 feet tall. That is absolutely massive, but still nowhere near the size of these damn AI images. What is even more impressive about gorillas is how lean they can be
• 02:00 - 02:30 while being this massive. Wild gorillas carry only about 5 to 15% body fat, with most estimates on the leaner side. For perspective, after months of cutting weight, bodybuilders try to get between 4 to 8% body fat for a competition. In contrast, gorillas stay this lean year round. So, while a gorilla is already massive, they are also leaner than most professional fighters with so much lean muscle, how strong are gorillas really? Gorillas have monstrous upper body strength, and their chest is
• 02:30 - 03:00 particularly strong. It is estimated that they could bench press over 4,000 lb. That is over 20 times more than the average lifter. Their pulling strength is also extremely impressive. The fact that a gorilla can hold its entire body with one arm while climbing shows incredible functional strength, but with both arms, it can pull up to 1,800 lb. This is incredible when considering the average man can only pull around 100 lb, meaning a gorilla can pull 12 times more weight than the average man. Though
• 03:00 - 03:30 gorillas are far stronger in their upper body than us, our legs are actually quite developed in comparison. There are no direct studies on what they could squat, but a reasonable estimate is,00 lb, which is slightly higher than the heaviest that a human has ever squatted, but the average male can only squat about 220 lb, making the gorilla's legs four to five times stronger than the average male. So, yeah, clearly gorillas are way stronger than the average men. But what about strong men? You know, the massive guys on steroids that push the
• 03:30 - 04:00 limits of human strength. These guys are so massive that some even weigh as much as the largest gorillas. Haftdor Bjornson, otherwise known as the mountain at his strongest, was 460 pounds, standing at 6'9. Eddie Hall, an arguably stronger man at his largest, weighed 434 lb. Keep in mind, Eastern land gorillas averaged 310 lb, meaning that these two men had over 100 lb on the average gorilla. These men could certainly squat more
• 04:00 - 04:30 than almost all gorillas, but their bench press and pulling power was not nearly as strong. Gorillas are so much stronger than humans in their upper body because of their anatomy and the composition of their muscles. All apes have two types of muscle fibers, slow twitch and fast twitch. Fast twitch gives you explosive power. Human muscles are about half and half, and other apes have more fast twitch than slow. But gorillas are incredible with 85% of their muscles being made of fast twitch fibers, the most of any ape. This makes
• 04:30 - 05:00 their muscle tissue around 1.3 times stronger than ours. So even when a steroided up strong man weighs 460 lb, they are not nearly as strong as gorillas in most areas. It is fascinating to ponder from a biological and evolutionary perspective why gorillas evolve to be so strong and us so weak by comparison. Okay, so now that we understand just how strong gorillas can be, let's look at real life examples of gorillas attacking humans. And don't worry YouTube moderators, I won't get too graphic. In the wild and in
• 05:00 - 05:30 captivity, gorillas are quite shy animals and will typically avoid humans. Even when threatened, gorillas usually bluff charge rather than escalate to violence. There are no accounts of a gorilla ever killing a human, even after decades of research on wild gorillas and over 600 gorillas in captivity. However, there are a handful of instances of gorillas severely injuring humans that are worth looking into. In 2007 at Roderdam Zoo in the Netherlands, a male gorilla escaped his enclosure to attack a 57year-old woman. She often came to
• 05:30 - 06:00 the zoo and made frequent eye contact with this gorilla, which primates generally interpret as a challenge. She was bitten over a 100 times and dragged around, receiving multiple bone fractures. But after extensive surgery, she recovered. At Dallas Zoo in 1998, a gorilla named Hercules, of all names, Hercules was its name, attacked a zookeeper after a gate was left open. The man was left with 33 bite wounds, which required major reconstructive surgery and over a year in the hospital.
• 06:00 - 06:30 At the same zoo in Dallas, only 6 years later, another gorilla jumped over a wall and attacked three adults and a toddler. The toddler was bitten, and one man was thrown against the wall, and the others were also bit. The gorilla was fatally shot, ending his attack, and all the humans survived. And finally, of course, we cannot forget about our beloved Harambe. On May 28th, 2016, a three-year-old boy fell into the gorilla exhibit and was dragged around by our dear friend. Harambe was just trying to play with a young guy, but he was
• 06:30 - 07:00 eventually shot and killed, and the world has been downhill ever since. Truly a turning point in history. around me. You were so big and strong. Okay, so what can we learn from all of these accounts? Gorillas are certainly dangerous animals capable of quickly maming and possibly even killing humans. However, they are not violent marauders. They're actually quite peaceful. They only attack in specific circumstances and seemingly to eliminate a threat rather than to actually kill. They primarily use their sheer mass and
• 07:00 - 07:30 muscle to knock over their adversary and also rely on their teeth to cause serious injury. There's no evidence of them literally ripping limbs off of people or punching people into the air like Smash Bros. If we analyze footage of gorillas fighting each other, one thing is clear. Gorillas are not King Kong. They don't have proper punches and have nothing close to punching form. Their punches are either long whailing shots or these close little slaps that honestly look pretty unathletic. I don't doubt that a gorilla can knock me out cold or knock anyone
• 07:30 - 08:00 out cold for that matter. But I think King Kong movies have really distorted our ideas about how gorillas actually behave in real life. They are so much goofier and utterly unserious. If they did knock out a man with one of these weird shots, he would likely be able to get up and recover. Most fighters only get knocked unconscious for a few seconds before regaining consciousness. If a gorilla knocked a man out cold, it would likely not seem as a threat anymore and stop attacking him, allowing him to recover. In real life, if a gorilla is fighting a group of men, it would almost certainly charge the men,
• 08:00 - 08:30 knocking one or multiple over, and then it would probably single one out and bite it repeatedly. Gorillas have a very strong bite force. It is estimated to be up to 1,400 lb per square in. For reference, a lion's bite force is between 600 to 1,000 PSI, while a humans is 150 to 200. Their canines are quite large at 2 in or 5 cm in length. Every tooth is like this big, bro. Their bite is certainly their deadliest weapon as it can pierce flesh and break bone. But
• 08:30 - 09:00 as we have learned from real world accounts, people have survived a 100 puncture wounds and that was a 57year-old woman. No matter what their intention is, they seem to bite wherever they can, including limbs in the body. They don't target the vitals or even the face. I don't doubt that they could kill a man with one wellplaced bite, but our direct evidence shows us that their bites are generally survivable no matter how much they may hurt. Okay, so gorillas would probably knock over men and bite them, but what about kicks and chokes? I remember arguing with my friends about who would win, a bear or a
• 09:00 - 09:30 gorilla. He claimed that the gorilla would jump on the bear, take its back, and choke it out. I remember laughing at how ridiculous this sounded. Gorillas are not naturally as skilled as prime Charles Olivivera. They don't know how to choke out another animal, at least far as we know, because this has never been witnessed in any other ape except us. They simply do not know strangulation techniques, and I don't think this should even be a factor. They also probably do not really know how to throw kicks or knees. They are very topheavy and attack each other in crouch
• 09:30 - 10:00 positions that wouldn't really allow this. When they throw their weird punches, they seem to often land their strikes with their forearms. So, you could say that they know how to throw an elbow, but even this is kind of a stretch. Now, we must talk about the 100 men that would be fighting this gorilla. I think it would be unfair to do 100 halfthorpjornsons weighing 460 lb. Instead, I think an averagesized moderately active male would be fair. So 5'9 and 170 lb. They should be fairly strong, but not in overly good shape. So I'm going to say they can bench their
• 10:00 - 10:30 body weight and run a 7-minute mile. I don't think they should be overly trained in any martial art, but maybe they at least know how to throw a punch, kick, or knee. But remember, they are fighting a gorilla, so what strikes would even be effective? Gorillas are really tough, but they are not Superman. They have skin, bones, and blood. As far as strikes go, overhand punches, elbows, knees, kicks, and stomps would be most effective. These shots certainly are not knocking out a gorilla or even doing too much damage, but they would add up.
• 10:30 - 11:00 Again, gorillas are made up of flesh and bone. Enough hard punches and kicks would do some damage. In kickboxing or MMA, if a fighter is really good at punching, a common technique is to kick him in the arms. This fills his arms up with blood and kind of disables them. Point being, even just punching a muscle like a bicep or a shoulder or something can add up. And if dozens of punches are being thrown at your muscles at once, it would do some damage. One thing I thought of that I haven't seen anyone mention in regard to this debate is our bite. Humans can bite and people bite
• 11:00 - 11:30 during fights all the time. We can without a doubt bite through the skin of a gorilla. Maybe not that deep, but again, these attacks would add up. Gorillas only have so much blood, and we can make them bleed bite by bite. Now that we have a good understanding of both sides of this battle, we have to mention the most crucial factor in my opinion, the setting. Where does the battle take place? Are there any objects to pick up? If there are rocks in the environment, a 100 men would batter a gorilla with ease. If there were sticks
• 11:30 - 12:00 that could be turned into spears, I think 10 men could easily take down a gorilla. If there was even sand, we could fill the gorilla's eyes and throat with it. So to make this match as fair as possible, I think it should take place on a grassy savannah with no sizable rocks or objects to use. Also, as many have mentioned, motivation is a huge factor to make sure both men and the gorilla fight to the best of their ability. Let's assume that they both know that they will be burned a Spanish Inquisition style if they don't win. Yeah, I know it's unlikely to convey
• 12:00 - 12:30 this message to a gorilla, but come on. This is hypothetical anyways. Now, time to strategize with me, fellow 99 other men. Humans are obviously capable of coming up with complex strategies. So, how would we actually finish this fight? What even are our options? Could we knock out a gorilla? Humans lose consciousness from blows that are relatively soft. Chimpanzees require far more force, enough to cause fractures and brain damage. Gorillas are even tougher with massive skulls and dense
• 12:30 - 13:00 musculature. Even the hardest punchers and kickers of our time likely couldn't knock one out with a single punch or kick. Next. Could you choke out a gorilla? Possibly, but they have much larger heads and necks than humans. It may be possible, though, considering their most dangerous weapon is their teeth. I think this can be ruled out. Other submissions would probably have little effectiveness. And besides, these 100 men are not jiu-jitsu black belts. They are regular guys. Next, we move to the number one factor in this matchup, endurance. As we mentioned earlier, the
• 13:00 - 13:30 muscles of a gorilla are around 85% fast twitch muscle. Even the most fast twitch UFC fighters who gas out in 2 minutes of fighting are only around 50% fast twitch muscle. Due to this, the gorilla would likely quickly tire no matter what it did. The most efficient route for the humans would be to surround the gorilla and taunt it from a distance. Every time it lashed out or tried to single out one man, it would tire and its massive muscles would fill with lactic acid, weakening them significantly. As the gorilla got more tired and tired, we
• 13:30 - 14:00 could attack. After possibly even hours of sustained attacks, the gorilla would inevitably lose any ability to fight back and we would win the fight. This is our number one route to victory. Though there are a handful of dirty tricks that could make our first fight even easier. A punch or kick to the groin of a gorilla would certainly be effective. This would cause immense pain, and repeated strikes could completely end his ability to fight back. The next dirty trick we could use is the Old Testament special. We simply gouge out
• 14:00 - 14:30 the gorilla's eyes. This would be hard to do as we would have to be up close and personal, though it would be extremely effective. Another trick would be to break or bite the gorilla's fingers. This is a trick that chimpanzees often use against one another. It would cause immense pain and weaken the gorilla significantly. With the endurance approach and the dirty tricks, we have come up with a truly effective strategy. Let's finally wrap everything up we have learned into one concise strategy. First of all, we know the gorilla will charge and probably
• 14:30 - 15:00 repeatedly. In a charge, it will try to single out one guy to get on top and maul. Our best strategy is to surround the gorilla in a wide circle. This will be extremely intimidating and force him to waste his energy by charging over and over again. Hopefully, the men will be able to just move out of the way of the charge. But if the gorilla singles one out and starts mauling it, everyone else will move in to distract it, pulling the mauled man to safety. Like wolves circling their prey, one man from behind the gorilla will come in an attempt to strike. We will do this over and over
• 15:00 - 15:30 again until the gorilla gets exhausted. As its muscles fill with blood and its lungs begin to heave, we will move in like Max Holloway, striking again and again and again. As a gorilla lashes out and maybe bites one or two of us, we will keep up the pressure. Now we will look to land bigger strikes. Right hands to the head, knees and kicks to the body. You get the picture. though they don't seem like they'd be that damaging. The gorilla's muscles are getting weaker and weaker. Once the gorilla is completely exhausted, barely able to lift an arm, we will continue our
• 15:30 - 16:00 assault. Here is where the dirty tricks will come into play. We will eye poke him like prime Jon Jones and kick him in the groin repeatedly. If possible, we will bite his fingers and even just generally bite him. Soon, he will be completely exhausted, blind, beaten, and bleeding. His ability to fight back will be over and we can finish the job. I truly believe this strategy would result in only a few casualties. Maybe no fatalities if we can get medical attention after the battle is over. This
• 16:00 - 16:30 approach might take an hour or even two, but in the first 5 to 10 minutes, I believe the gorilla will already be gassed out. Taking our time for the perfect strikes is just out of safety. If our men truly did not care about getting injured, I think we could get the gorilla out of there in under 30 minutes. Either way, with this approach, the gorilla would stand no chance. What do you all think about this approach? I honestly cannot see a single route in which the gorilla would win. Even if it fought like King Kong, it would simply run out of energy. With muscles that large and fast twitch, the gorilla
• 16:30 - 17:00 really doesn't stand a chance against us. What is even crazier about this matchup is that it probably really did happen in prehistory. Not that long ago, there were many human species walking the earth as well as many giant apes. In Africa a million years ago, our ancestors in the form of homo erectus seem to have directly hunted the massive baboon-like dopythecus. This creature weighed up to 160 lbs and had massive canines. Despite their ferocity, it appears that Homoerectus hunted young individuals for
• 17:00 - 17:30 their meat. The clashes that must have occurred in Pisces Africa are truly nightmare fuel. In Asia, Homoctus also lived alongside Gigantopithecus for hundreds of thousands of years. Gigantoopythecus is the largest ape ever discovered. Since we only have fragmented remains of its jaws and teeth, we don't know its true size, though it is estimated that males may have weighed anywhere between 440 to,00 lb. When standing on their hind legs, they may have been 6 1/2 to 12 ft tall.
• 17:30 - 18:00 This is of course very speculative and in all likelihood they were not on the upper end of this range. Considering they lived in East Asia from 2 million to 300,000 years ago, Homoerectus was undoubtedly familiar with these animals. Imagine what an encounter with this animal would have been like. Did Homoctus hunt young Gigantopi for sport? Was it a ritual challenge to bring down a large male? Or was it Gigantopithecus that pummeled an erectus when they got too close? What if they were even friendly, working together to ward off
• 18:00 - 18:30 tigers and snakes? There are so many fascinating possibilities to consider. Even if Gigantopithecus was on the upper end of this size range, I would still bet on 10 Homo erectus with simple wooden spears to prevail. Homoerectus could throw efficiently. And just imagine 10 of them throwing spears and rocks at such a large target. I have no doubt that Gigantopycus became dinner on some wonderful nights in place in Asia. Pondering about the lives these people lived and the animals they encountered will never get old to me. Prehistory was
• 18:30 - 19:00 a truly strange time and the human story is endlessly fascinating. In conclusion, humans are a truly formidable animal in a group of us is exceptionally dangerous. There is a reason we were able to conquer this world and only now are pondering the ethics of doing so. Let me know in the comments what you think of my breakdown and what strategy you would use to take down a gorilla. And if you want to learn more about our encounters with bizarre and terrifying prehistoric animals, check out these videos. Thanks for watching. Make sure to like, subscribe, comment, and hit
• 19:00 - 19:30 that bell icon so you never miss out on an upload. Also, let's get this video to 10,000 likes. Come on. This has been your host, North 2, and I'll see you in the next one. Not even there.