Can a gorilla beat a lion? Gorillas and lions are without a doubt a few unique creatures you should expect to explore in Africa. Both mammal species display a certain level of strength, natural weapons, and speed to attack and defend. Looking at their varying behavioral traits, one can wonder if the two met, can a gorilla beat a lion?

Unlike most wildlife encounters, a gorilla and a lion could collide when their ranges converge. There are many factors to determine who could be the king of the jungle. We have looked at different factors to make comparisons to determine who perhaps can come on top when a fight between a gorilla and a lion happens. The key factors include size, speed, intelligence, and bite power.

The size: Lions weigh 264 to 550Ibs while gorillas weight ranges from 220 to 440Ibs. Their heights also vary with lions reaching 4.7-8.2ft and gorillas 4.4-5.1ft.

Speed & movement: Lions can take off at 35 mph unlike gorillas 25mph. Lions sprint to enemies and gorillas walk faster using the knuckle-walking method.

Bite power: Gorillas have 1300 PSI bite power and comprise 32 teeth inclusive of 2-inch fangs while lions have 650 PSI bite power plus 30 teeth inclusive of 4-inch canines.

Gorillas are highly intelligent and can use tools and weapons to a certain extent. Lions on the other hand are known as smart hunters and when attacking large prey, other lions join.

Senses: Gorillas have a humankind of sense of sight, smell, and hearing. Lions have a great sight at night, a good sense of smell, and can smell other lions’ markings. Lions also have good hearing that allows them to hear prey when still far.

Offensive powers: Gorillas have open-handed strikes and can bite. Lions on the other hand have claws, paw strikes, biting, and also use scratching to display their offensive powers.

Predatory behaviors: Gorillas prey on insects –overall, they are an opportunistic predator. While lions make the best use of groups to bring down their prey.

Time of the day. Considering the fact that lions have a good sight at night if a fight happened around that time, perhaps lions could have the upper hand. Gorillas rely so much on sight although lions on the other hand could make the best use of their hiding and ambush tactics.

Is it normal for gorillas to fight lions?

It is normal for gorillas to fight lions provided that they are threatened. Although generally, the gorillas are gentle creatures and often pose little threats. Gorillas in captivity have been described as the most aggressive and can at times cause fatal outbursts. Gorillas are very powerful animals and capable of fighting lions or even any other huge predator.

Gorillas are the biggest living primates and reside in the African jungles including Uganda, Congo, and Rwanda. Gorillas exist in 2 species which include Western and Eastern gorillas.

If a gorilla and lion fight, who could win?

Certainly, a lion would win the fight against a gorilla. Lions have a unique hunting behavior which involves stalking and ambushing. With such behavior, a gorilla can be taken down in seconds.

When they have successfully crashed into a gorilla, they would begin landing a powerful bite on sensitive areas including the neck, head, and others. Lions would bite and claw a gorilla combined with immense harm in just seconds. The unfortunate bit also is that gorillas are very slow when it comes to running speed.

 Extra facts to know about gorillas and lions

Gorillas inhabit the rainforests in Africa. They dominate the montane areas with key places being Bwindi National Park, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Virunga National Park, Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Volcanoes National Park, and Maiko National Park etc. They depend on vegetation as their diet.

Lions are largely carnivores with their diet largely consisting of meat from wild animals like giraffes, zebras, gazelles, buffaloes, and more.