AboutJonathan Wright Expertise I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos.
PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PETS. IF YOU ARE REALLY WORRIED, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A VETERINARIAN. PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT UNPAID PEOPLE ON ALLEXPERTS ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY AND WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ADVICE THE MOMENT YOUR ANIMAL GETS ILL. Find out how to look after a pet before you get it. It is unfair to keep an animal in inappropriate conditions and give it the wrong food. If you can't keep an animal in good conditions, please don't bring it into your home. I'm not a vet and I don't have any expertise in animal medicine and care. I don't agree with people taking animals out of the wild and then expecting other people to give free advice on how to look after them. It is cruel to take animals away from their parents, who are able to look after the babies and may look for them, while putting their other babies at risk. You may need a licence to look after some animals. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals; please check with a local wildlife organisation.
IF YOU FIND AN INJURED ANIMAL, PLEASE CONTACT A WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN OR CHARITY AND LET TRAINED STAFF LOOK AFTER THE ANIMAL. DO NOT TRY TO LOOK AFTER AN INJURED ANIMAL IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
Please do not remove eggs from nests. The mother birds will know the right temperature for the eggs and will not sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them (check details on websites) to see if the eggs are fertile. If the eggs are not fertile, they will not hatch.
I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.
Experience I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.
Organizations World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.
Publications Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group
Education/Credentials BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.
Question i was wondering: exactly how strong is a (silverback) gorilla?
most sources seem to be pretty inconclusive. I've heard claims of anywhere from
1 to 27 times as strong as the average human male. I've heard that a gorilla can
lift 4600 pounds above its head. i have little doubt that a gorilla is stronger than
a human, but I'm wondering how much stronger.
Answer Dear Zach
Thanks for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.
Creation versus Evolution (http://www.evcforum.net/cgi-bin/dm.cgi?action=msg&f=14&t=1376&m=1 and http://www.evcforum.net/cgi-bin/dm.cgi?action=msg&f=14&t=1376&m=196) is a discussion forum. LudoRaphaim says that there may have been no study to determine a gorilla’s strength. One book says it is 4-8 times stronger than a man, while the "Animal face off" show says it is 20 times stronger and LudoRaphaim says it is 20 times stronger in its upper body. Nigel Marvin says it is 5 times stronger. "The Most Extreme" on Animal Planet suggested that a gorilla can lift two tons above its head and may be eight times as strong as an Olympic weight lifter. A gorilla may deadlift twice as much as the world's strongest human.
Thomas M. Greiner (http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2001-07/995155256.Zo.r.html) considers the problems of defining gorilla strength. He says that most human strength activities, such as weight lifting, involve a degree of skill as well as strength. It is possible that a human could bench press more weight than a gorilla, but that a could tear the arms off the human. Gorillas and humans have variable strengths. The gorilla has very strong arms, compared to a person.
One reader (Abortion) at http://www.comixtreme.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-19908.html says that the gorilla is 20 times stronger than an average adult human and could lift 200 pounds (about 1 ton), while PukeDunk says it could lift 2 tons and can tear up trees.
Looking at this conflicting information, it seems that a silverback gorilla is 5-20 times as strong as a human and that 10 times seems to be a fair estimate. It is a pity that there is so much speculation rather than any definitive answers.
