How strong is a chimpanzee? Are chimps really that violent?

Chimpanzees are man’s closest relatives with which we share up to 98.7% of DNA. Human and chimpanzee therefore share a lot similarities, but how does chimp and man measure up when it comes to strength? How about the chimpanzee and other great apes such as the gorilla, how do they measure up in strength?

Chimps have a diminutive appearance, with a standing height of 4 – 5ft and weighing 70 – 130 pounds, they look small and rather weak. In fact, from a distance one could easily mistake a chimp for a monkey (except that monkeys have tails while chimps don’t). But a very deceptive appearance as chimpanzees are really strong! In fact, their encounters with man and other bigger wildlife normally end in fatality for the other species. This has people thinking, how strong are chimpanzees? This is also one of the curios questions in the minds of tourists who would like to take part in the unique activity of the tracking chimps in Uganda and the chimp trekking in Rwanda.

Chimpanzees spend most of the time in trees, swinging from branch to branch and from tree-to-tree courtesy of their incredibly strong arms (& legs). This use of arms enhances their strength. Chimps lack tails that monkeys have to help them balance when swinging through the trees, so chimps developed a lot of strength in the limbs to jump efficiently and firmly hold onto branches while supporting their weight.

Chimps will occasionally panty hoot and hit/slap the barks of trees to locate each across the large territory a community of chimps is covering. The sound from the slapping of the tree barks is akin to thunder, so loud that it covers a huge distance through the dense forest, a show of how strong their arms are.

The following comparisons will help you appreciate the strength of a chimpanzee.

Man vs chimpanzee strength

The strength of one chimpanzee is estimated to be equivalent to the strength of 5 men.

It is said an agitated Chimp in Uganda’s Kibale Forest once held a park ranger’s arm tightly and when it let go of his arm his bones had broken to bits.

How aggressive or violent are chimpanzees?

Chimpanzees have the reputation of being very violent primates. “They are just like us!”, exclaimed famous primatologist Jane Goodall in one of her documentaries about Chimps, as she narrated a particular hostile encounter she once faced by a male chimp from her research group in the Tanzanian forest (Gombe Stream). She had been with the chimps group for a while and therefore the members of the chimp group knew her as part of their community and naturally the chimps should not see her as a threat. But one time, a male chimp, out of the blue unprovoked accosted her and nearly took her life.

Chimpanzees are not afraid of aggression and will take on intruders into their territories and make war with other chimpanzee groups to take over forest areas with more food.

How do chimpanzees fight?

Chimpanzees fight violently using their arms by slamming, hammering, dragging, stomping, and pulling different ways. Chimpanzees are also able to use tree branches and stones as weapons. They also bite, and they have such sharp canine teeth. Chimps attack in gangs, that a group of chimps will gang up on the victim and beat them in all kinds of ways above.

Chimps are such terrible killers! Their most grotesque & sadistic way of dismembering humans (and other animals) is by; one chimp holding one leg and another chimp holding the other leg and then pulling the legs in different directions thereby tearing a person into two, like you would tear a piece of paper!

But before tearing a human apart, the chimps will first bite the hands so as to eliminate the fighting capacity of the human (of course the chimps know our weapon is our hands/arms). Hence, when cornered by aggressive chimps it is advised to fold your arms in a way the chimp cannot easily access them (lie on the ground & coil like a baby as you hide your hands in between your thighs or stomach) as they will be the primary focus for the chimps to bite and break!