• SirHamlin@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Say what you want this is is an interesting thought, although the polar bear would most likely win because of its sheer mass. The gorilla has a lot going for it. A silverback can get to almost half that weight and has a greater bite force, intelligence, agility, and reach. They can also throw punches of up to 2300 lbs of force, which could easily break a bone or skull.

    • JordanZ@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Polar bears are fucking massive. Not just in weight but everything. I give reach to the polar bear as well.

      Some of the largest gorillas have a standing height of ~6 ft. A polar bears standing height is 10-11 ft. Their average shoulder height on four legs is 5ft. The bear out weighs a gorilla about 3-4x.

      My money is on the bear. The gorilla would probably land some good hits but the second the bear can pin down its movement that fight is over.

      • ExcessShiv@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        3 days ago

        The bear is in the foreground and the boat in the background, with probably at least 1.5-2m difference. Im aware polar bears are massive, but this image skews the relative size of the bear to seem larger than it actually is.

        Also, have you seen a wet polar bear? They look significantly smaller when the fur is not fluffed.

        • JordanZ@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          I’ll agree that the diff in foreground is skewing it a bit. I’ll edit this because I think you mean 1.5-2m between the boat and bear. If the bear is normalish sized it should be about 1.5m(5ft) tall. The guy in the boat is probably similar but he is also standing on something at or below water level versus above it like the bear. Which also gives the illusion of the bear being bigger.

          Polar bears change weight significantly throughout the year. So that can change what they look like wet as well. Their fluff will always be less.

          The point I was trying to make… A gorilla’s strength is technically enough to lift a polar bear’s weight but it’s in the upper end of their strength. The bear is going to fight every step of the way and it’s not going to behave like an inanimate object. The bear is almost guaranteed to have one or two limbs on the ground at all times providing it leverage. Polar bears can lift approximately twice what a gorilla weighs. Add in its nearly 2x size advantage, 3-4x weight advantage, the thicker hide, ~10cm of fat insulation, 5-7cm claws, and carnivorous focused teeth…I don’t see it ending well for the gorilla.

        • roscoe@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          4 days ago

          I’m certainly no expert so I’d appreciate any Jane Goodall types that want to correct me, but aren’t almost all gorilla fights for dominance until someone backs down so no one gets too fucked up and rarely dies? Whereas polar bears kill to live.

          Also, gorillas may have a hell of a haymaker but polar bears have big nasty fuck you claws.

          • SirHamlin@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            Agreed I think it’d be pretty crazy fight. If it didn’t hurt the animals involved I’d pay-per-view it for sure. From what I read they fight for territory, family protection, securing a female and to keep their rank. However, I am not a gorilla expert but I did stay at a holiday and express once.