Friday, 16 February 2018

Super Chimps

Like most people I had been peddling the old trope that Chimps were five times stronger than humans. That in fact that chimpanzees are superhuman strong.

Chimp Kong, Not Quite As Strong As King
Chimp Kong, Not Quite As Strong As King ......

This idea had apparently been fuelled by a 1923 study, that claimed one chimp could pull nine times its own body weight. Later studies suggested they could only pull two to four times their weight but the idea had been planted and stayed in the public conciousness and as a fact in been a feature of pop-culture.

Over the decades a number of studies have re-evaluated that original finding and suggested that pound-for-pound, chimpanzees could be as much as 3 to nearly 5 times stronger than a strapping human, or as little as 2.5 times.

But now a team of US researchers have dug deeper into the research conducted between 1923 and 2014. They have come to the conclusion that after reinterpreting the wealth of data, that while chimpanzees are consistently stronger, they are on average only about 1.5 times stronger than us.

Tarzan, Strong As A Gorilla
Tarzan, Strong As A Gorilla

It still wouldn't be worthwhile risking a rumble in the jungle with a chimp .... but it wouldn't be as tough as fighting a gorilla like King Kong ... you would have half a chance. Gorillas, well their another kettle of fish entirely, unless your Tarzan.

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