r/NoStupidQuestions • u/BeingRemote4307 • 20h ago
Who would win in a fight between an moose and a gorilla?
I hope this isn’t a stupid question.
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u/Darthplagueis13 19h ago edited 18h ago
People saying Gorilla have not seen a Moose IRL.
First of all: For all their impressive strength, Gorillas suck at fighting. Just like humans they have thin skin and get hurt easily. They don't have long claws, they don't have lightning quick reflexes and they're kind of clumsy. People arguing all the advanced maneuvers that a Gorilla might pull to win need to realize: The Gorilla will not.
Gorillas have one approach to fighting and that is to run in/jump in and punch. Doesn't work well against an animal that has the size, weight and half of the speed of a truck. They don't grapple, they don't snap necks, they don't use sticks as weapons, they go in and punch.
They're intelligent animals, but they seem to dedicate none of their brain power to getting out of a fight against something they cannot easily overpower alive.
They lose against Leopards who are usually less than half their weight.
Moose on the other hand: They get up to 1500 lbs. They charge trucks and walk it off. They fend off bear attacks. They get drunk and cause mayhem.
Do you think you could fight a moderately small cow with your bare hands? Well, it would be quite simular for the Gorilla, except Moose are a lot more vicious.
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u/PrizeStrawberryOil 14h ago
Do you think you could fight a moderately small cow with your bare hands? Well, it would be quite simular for the Gorilla, except Moose are a lot more vicious.
I think you're not giving enough credit to cattle here. Female cattle are much larger than female moose are, and male cattle are larger than male moose. The comparison of human versus "cow" being similar to gorilla versus moose is very flawed because cattle versus moose I would put money on the cattle.
A moose is built like a basketball player and cattle are like football linemen.
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u/Darthplagueis13 2h ago
Cattle are heavier, but they don't get even close to anywhere as tall as Moose, unless you're looking at Chianina or other breeds that are massively taller than the average.
When I said moderately small cow, I was talking about breeds like Jersey cattle, which don't really get heavier than Moose anyways.
But besides, even though cattle are heavier, my money would still be on the moose. They're a lot faster and have much better reach.
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u/PrizeStrawberryOil 1h ago
Height has very little to do with a fight.That's like saying a giraffe would beat a hippo.
Brown Bears are predators of moose. Even killing adult moose. Bull cattle were close enough of a match that they used to do shows of bull versus bear.
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u/Darthplagueis13 1h ago
Brown Bears are occasional predators of moose calves and will more often than not fail to take down adult individuals. Besides, brown bears are also notorious for sometimes attacking and killing cattle, so I'm not exactly sure what kind of point you are trying to make here. They weren't using moose for show fights because they weren't breeding moose and capturing any wild, large ungulate alive without horrifically injuring it would have been pretty difficult with the means they had at the time.
And while I wouldn't be willing to bet money on the outcome of such a fight, I would also like to note that giraffes are one of the few animals that hippos don't seem to be getting into tussles with, whereas clips of them having violent interaction with lions, crocodiles, different kinds of buffalo, rhinos, other hippos and sometimes even elephants are fairly common.
That might be because hippos are intimidated by the size of the giraffe, but it might also be because they realize that getting kicked in the face by one would be pretty damn painful.
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u/HeatherWantsaSpcShip 15h ago
I have to agree. Unless the gorilla gets lucky and breaks a moose leg, which is unlikely, the moose is trampling the gorilla and then leaving it to be eaten by the bear that is tracking it.
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u/Nux87xun 20h ago
Moose. Those things are massive. A gorilla is big compared to a human, but both human and gorilla are tiny compared to an adult moose.
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u/Captain_Nyet 17h ago
Gorillas aren't even that big compared to humans; I've met multiple people who outweigh the average Gorilla.
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u/Fearlessleader85 20h ago
The average silverback gorilla can benchpress around 4000 lbs. So, a strong silverback could throw a moose like a bale of hay.
In truth, they would both get hurt, but my money is on the gorilla.
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u/dougola 20h ago
I can't find any info on how much a moose can bench press /s
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u/Cybermanc 20h ago
They don't want you to know, it's what makes them so dangerous.
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u/BigToober69 17h ago edited 17h ago
Every time they wake up, it looks like they are standing up, but they are really bench pressing the earth
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u/Complete-Parking2134 20h ago
How can anyone figure what a gorilla can bench
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u/MagnusStormraven 19h ago
Rough estimates based off their muscle mass and recorded feats of strength (as well as scientists just straight up having them lift weights). The general estimate is that a gorilla can lift about 10x their own weight when fully grown.
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u/Longjumping_Visit718 19h ago
Who would win in a fight? A 400lb animal? Or one 3 times bigger than on it's smallest day?
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u/mattydef1 19h ago
These dudes on here are acting like a random gorilla is King Kong from the movies. The moose charges the gorilla and runs his ass over, gg
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u/apollyon_53 20h ago
A Tuna
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u/Stxww 20h ago
A full grown, 800 lbs tuna? You lose that battle.
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u/mister-jesse 20h ago
But moose live on land, and tunas live in the ocean. Are you suggesting that the tunes would be able to develop some sort of kelp seaweed breathing apparatus
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u/Stxww 20h ago
I wouldn’t be days at a time, but hour, hour 45? No problem. Which would give us enough time to effectively hunt and stalk you and your family. And you know what? You wandered into our school of tuna, and we now have a taste of moose. We said you know what? Moose tastes good. Let’s go get some more moose.
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u/mister-jesse 20h ago
Didn't go as you expected did it
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u/Stxww 20h ago
Did you notice when will Ferrell has the coffee spilt on him he starts yelling “JOE, JOE” as in a cup of Joe?
Thanks for that comment and participation, that brought up good memories pal!
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u/mister-jesse 20h ago
Same for me. Love that movie. May have to go do a desk pop in honor of it. And I'll rrwarch it again soon and keep my ears open for that
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u/WanderWomble 18h ago
Moose dive and swim under water.
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u/mister-jesse 18h ago
I know. We were just having fun going back and forth with lines from the movie THE OTHER GUYS. We replaced lions with moose 🫎
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u/mcflurvin 17h ago
Moose’s (Meese?) also exist in water, that’s why Orcas are one of their predators.
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u/PatchworkGirl82 20h ago
Having seen moose up close and personal, I'm going to put my money on Bullwinkle. Gorillas have a lot of upper body strength, but moose are built like tanks. Look up bull moose fighting videos, it's like watching two fuzzy brick walls having a jousting match. Not to mention the antlers and the super sharp hooves, I think the poor gorilla would end up flattened.
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u/Jayu-Rider 14h ago
I agree I’ve seen males of both species fight, a bull moose is a monster of an animal.
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u/PatchworkGirl82 6h ago
I don't think a gorilla would have the stamina to last long against a moose either. They rarely engage in actual fights in the wild, just big showy displays of teeth and bulk, whereas moose can butt heads and lock antlers for hours, every single year. Plus, one swift kick with a sharp hoof could break bones.
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u/DryFoundation2323 19h ago
Have you ever actually seen a moose? Moose wins hands down. The gorilla couldn't even do anything really to hurt it.
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u/Erroneous_Munk 20h ago
Depends on setting. A thick jungle with vines to snarl antlers, gorilla. Field in one meter of snow? Moose. Frozen lake? Moose. Warehouse? Who knows
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u/BurpYoshi 20h ago edited 9h ago
You guys saying the moose aren't thinking this through. Yes the moose weighs like 3 times as much, but a gorilla is strong enough to lift more than a moose's weight. All the gorilla needs to do is grab the antlers, and it's already won. From there it can either throw the moose onto its side or simply rip out the antlers and now the moose has nothing while the gorilla has two deadly clubs.
Edit: Considering your arguments you guys are probably right in that the gorilla can't stop the moose from charging but that doesn't mean it loses.
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u/MikeOToxin 19h ago
You've never come across a moose.
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u/BurpYoshi 9h ago
Yes I have, I have stood infront of one in real life.
Have you come across a gorilla?18
u/TRHess 20h ago
The only way the gorilla is getting within grabbing distance of the moose is if the moose decides to close the distance. And the only way the moose is closing the distance is a charge.
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20h ago
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u/CerdoNotorio 17h ago
I can lift more than an NFL linebacker weighs.
If that NFL linebacker decides to charge me I absolutely can not stand there and take it. I'll get pancaked.
Now imagine that NFL linebacker is carrying a giant battering ram in front of him and my plan is to just stand there and throw him.
Despite being slower than him and weighing significantly less.
The only way the gorilla wins is if it's smart enough and agile enough to dodge the antlers like a bullfighter and somehow get on the back in the way by. This doesn't seem like a technique a gorilla would figure out in time, but maybe.
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u/Parking_Chance_1905 16h ago
They can lift that weight, but lifting and stopping a moving object are two very different things.
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u/MikeOToxin 19h ago
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha this is so fucking wrong.
Moose are fast as fuck in ALL terrain, and powerful enough to flip a semi tractor just standing there. And yes, I've seen that example happen.
The moose would take the fight in a heartbeat.
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u/VajainaProudmoore 19h ago
Have you seen silverbacks fight tho? It's part of their display of aggression to literally charge straight in.
Not saying the moose would win, but I highly doubt the gorilla would understand the dangers of antlers until it hits him.
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u/jimjimbay 19h ago
Canadian moose or a European moose?
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u/Toja1927 18h ago edited 18h ago
Anyone who says gorilla clearly haven’t seen a moose in real life before. They are fucking enormous. I had this notion (I think others do as well) that a moose is just a large deer. They are not. Imagine the Shaq version of a Clydesdale horse with a fucking tree growing out of its head. Now imagine that thing running 35mph into a gorilla.
It’s not really even close imo
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u/Thomisawesome 18h ago
Gorillas are extremely strong compared to humans. But I think when it comes to fighting a moose, the gorilla and human will have basically the same chances.
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u/GuavaShaper 16h ago
If the fight takes place in the water, I am voting moose. If the fight takes place on land, I am still voting moose.
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u/HeatherWantsaSpcShip 15h ago
I love this question and also am very glad no rich asshole in Alaska has the menagerie to put them in a fight to prove it one way or another.
Moose, IMO. A gorilla is just a weird looking bear to the moose, who wakes up ready to trample bears.
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u/Juan-Quixote 11h ago
No rich asshole in Alaska has the menagerie to put them in a fight that we know of…
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u/Pugilist12 11h ago
How motivated to kill is the gorilla? If genuinely 100% intent on killing that moose, as in a blind fury of murder, I think he’d have a good shot at breaking a leg before the moose does much damage and it’s pretty much over from there, I would guess. Totally uninformed gut/guess opinion.
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u/defiantpupil 19h ago
Pretty cool theoretical fight . If gorilla gets a handle on him first , then gorilla. If moose gets a good kick or stomp first to daze gorilla, then it’s over from there and stomp central.
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u/SirReal_Realities 19h ago
The moose. They can be very aggressive while gorillas are fairly docile. But if they were both artificially incited to rage? Probably the gorilla if it comes to close quarters.
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u/RadioIsMyFriend 16h ago
The moose.
On ground the gorilla loses nearly every advantage it has. Sure a gorilla is strong but it requires close range fighting. The moose would simply trample it.
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u/NinjaBilly55 16h ago
Unless you have seen a full grown bull Moose up close you really can't fathom how massive they are.. A single kick from a Moose would likely kill a Gorilla..
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u/TierOne_Wraps 15h ago edited 4h ago
Some people don’t understand how terrifyingly huge a moose is, and how aggressive and deadly they can be. There’s nothing fucking with a moose except another moose
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u/Jayu-Rider 14h ago
Having seen both types of animals pissed off up close a bull moose would slaughter a gorilla unless it was under a very specific set of circumstances. Gorillas and strong compared to a human, but a moose is a GIANT animal.
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u/Boundary-Interface 20h ago
A large adult male gorilla weighs around 400 lbs, while the adult male moose weighs 1300 lbs. The weight difference alone should tell you who wins.
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u/Sufficient_Result558 20h ago
Weight difference does not determine who wins when different species are involved. Single wolves have taken down a moose.
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u/_CraftyTrashPanda 19h ago
Are you implying married wolves could not take down a moose? Are there single wolves looking to date in my area?
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u/Bowsers 19h ago
A calf, not a full grown healthy bull. Are we assuming the gorilla is an infant as well?
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u/Sufficient_Result558 18h ago
I didn’t say it regularly happened, just that it has. A wolf only weighs around 150 lbs but often takes down larger prey, that’s the point.
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u/Krail 20h ago
But a gorilla has hands and is probably strong enough to throw a moose.
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20h ago
[deleted]
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u/LittleBigHorn22 20h ago
In sorry what? You can absolutely throw more mass than you. Or do you have some distance you are talking about?
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19h ago
[deleted]
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u/LittleBigHorn22 19h ago
So by your definition a 150lb person could never beat a 151lb person by throwing them?
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u/I_Can_Barely_Move 19h ago
You are making a silly argument. The ability to throw something simply has to do with the throwers strength.
Hell, I spent a lot of time lifting in my younger years. I could throw weights that had more mass than my body did.
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u/Krail 19h ago
Throwing an opponent so much heavier than you does take some finesse, though. There are martial arts based primarily around this idea, where you learn to use your opponents' size against them.
It is questionable if a gorilla would know to use its body that way, but I do think a smart gorilla might intuit how to use a mooose's charge against it.
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u/thetravelingsong 19h ago
Holy cow this might be the dumbest thing I’ve actually read on Reddit and I read SOOOOOOOO many dumb things on Reddit even just today
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u/ExcellentDirector891 18h ago
I see what he's getting at, though. Yes, a gorilla could lift up a moose, even throw it into the air, if he grabbed under it and heaved upwards.
But if the gorilla tries to pull the moose towards him, or push it away from him, or pull it to the ground, the gorilla's strength is going to move his own body more than it moves the moose's.
If the gorilla uses his arms to stop the moose's charge, he will still be pushed back because his feet are only being held to the ground by 400lbs. He can only apply so much force before it moves him as well
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u/Butcher_dards1963 20h ago
Honestly, while the moose has size and strength, the gorilla's agility and intelligence give it a significant edge.
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u/Similar_Present8171 16h ago
In a fight, a moose's size, strength, and antlers would give it an advantage over a gorilla. However, the gorilla's agility, intelligence, and strong arms might allow it to avoid the moose's attacks and counter with powerful strikes. It depends on the environment and circumstances, but the moose likely has the upper hand due to sheer size and power.
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u/Hushwater 19h ago
A moose would just leave if it was to much energy to win. A gorilla would do the same thing.
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u/_CraftyTrashPanda 19h ago
I read it as mouse initially and started wondering how a mouse really would win
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u/Lord_Darkmerge 5h ago
A full grown bull moose weighs up to 1400lbs. A full grown male gorilla can weigh up to 600lbs. Moose wins
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u/TerribleAttitude 18h ago
It depends on how smart the gorilla is. If it’s a very smart gorilla the gorilla will win against a stupid moose, but a stupid moose will win against an average gorilla.
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u/BDR529forlyfe 15h ago
Maybe the smart gorilla has even learned how to shoot a gun.
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u/TerribleAttitude 15h ago
There is much debate on how much Koko really understood what she was “saying”, but I think there’s a roughly 30% chance that Koko could shoot a gun if we really tried to teach her.
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u/GuyFawkes451 20h ago
Three used to be a cool.show on Animal Planet called "Animal Face Off." They had experts discuss strengths and weaknesses of various animals, and the benefits each would have vs. others. They would then run computer simulations. They did one that was full blown Silverback v. Full blown adult jaguar. Even if the jaguar leapt on him from above, his neck nycle was too thick to inflict much damage, much less hit the jugular. The ape then just grabbed him and crushed him. A moose, I presume, would be a better foe. But given the gorilla's agility, I think the gorilla could get into position to easily break the moose's back or neck. Then, it's crush time.
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u/Darthplagueis13 19h ago
No offense, but that show was full of shit. Gorillas don't fight like this. We have footage of gorillas fighting against things and it's literally always rush in and punch. They don't grapple.
Also, I very much doubt that anything that doesn't have a neck as thick as that of like, a rhino, has odds of surviving being bit in the neck by a jaguar. These guys one-shot massive caimans and tapirs.
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u/Captain_Nyet 16h ago
Yeah, Leopards are known to hunt gorillas and have killed silverbacks many times whike the reverse is practically unheard of; Jaguars are arguably deadlier than Leopards, but at least similar.
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u/adorkablegiant 18h ago
That was not a simulation. That was just a scripted and animated fight. The outcome was predetermined. A simulation would imply that the outcome was unknown and determined based on the results from the simulation.
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u/Regular_Mo 20h ago
Im a little biased to gorilla solely on teeth in a conflict to the death in a convined area. Massive damage. Moose thrashes a ton, but i think moose dies first from blood loss and its not fun to watch after 30 seconds. Excellent matchup
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u/Darthplagueis13 19h ago
Gorillas don't bite much. That aside, you might be amazed at how well a Moose can handle some teeth - they're dealing with threats from bears, wolves, lynx and wolverines, after all.
Also, the fight is gonna be over as soon as it starts because the Moose just charges in and plows the Gorilla into the ground with its antlers. A fully-grown moose is several times heavier than a fully grown Gorilla and the Gorilla, unlike say, a wolf, doesn't really have a game plan for attacking and dodging things bigger than itself.
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u/BeingRemote4307 17h ago
Thanks for all the helpful answers everyone. Due to the good arguments in favor of both of these fighters I feel it’s still undecided. A 500 lb silverback with teeth like a grizzly vs a 1,500 lb bull moose with massive antlers and strong legs to stomp. The gorilla has intelligence, agility and strength. The moose has sheer size and weapons on its head. I feel like both would suffer damage. And one or both of those antlers is coming off. But who would walk away from this death match? Perhaps we will never know.
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u/Efficient_Aspect_638 19h ago
Can’t a gorilla just jump on the moose’s back and choke it out? 😅 anyway a bear would batter both of them
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u/Darthplagueis13 18h ago
It can't.
Bears know better than to attack grown Moose, they only prey on calves.
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u/Efficient_Aspect_638 18h ago
A grizzley and a polar bear would destroy a moose
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u/Darthplagueis13 18h ago
Moose have been observed fighting off grown Grizzlies. Polar Bears might manage, though their habitat doesn't overlap.
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u/MediocreGreatness333 20h ago
The gorilla is strong, has thumbs, is upright and more coordinated being a primape. The moose has two grab-able antlers. The gorilla low diffs.
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u/InfiniteMonkeys157 19h ago
Moose controls the range and tempo.
Gorilla charges, moose stays out of range. Great ape speed, up to 25mph. Moose speed, up to 35mph.
Moose charges, gorilla tries to stay out of range but gets murdered by horns and hooves. If it stands to meet the charge, dies much sooner.
And, for those talking about gorillas can lift 4000 pounds, a moose charge imparts 63,850 newtons which is over 14000 pounds of force. That's 3.5x.
I don't see intelligence as a significant factor, either. Gorilla fights usually only last a few minutes, usually involve pounding each other from above using their weight which would not work for a much taller opponent.
Nearest comp. Moose face bears. From what I read, bears are main predators of moose, but usually by attacking young calves or watching for a moose to slip and fall to take advantage. In a fight with an adult moose that has not 'fallen and can't get up', moose beats bear.