h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I need some help. I've written to Sir David Attenborough but he doesn't know the answer, and Terry Nutkins just didn't reply. Who would win in a fight, a gorilla or a lion?

Depends on what they're fighting over

What would they fight about?

They don't live in the same habitat; they don't eat the same food; they don't compete for mates. And they're both big enough for the cost of a fight to exceed the benefits.

Noggin

Marquis of Queensberry?

The gorilla - longer reach.

Which one has the gun?

Guns?

Feather pillows in a darkened cellar.

(Favours those with prehensile forelimbs, obviously)

Ah,it's an old joke...

Q: What do you call a gorilla with a machine gun?

A: Sir.

Kioness would be a better choice on the side of the cats - the Lion would be too busy looking disinterested under a tree licking his privates.


- just from my experience of male s...

Cheers to everyone who answered.

Actually this is a shameless ploy to get my conversation back at the top of the list! Any more opinions would be much appreciated. I side with the Gorillas myself the larger brains and ability to hold weapons puts them at an advantage.

Not sure about larger brains making much of a difference - I've got a bigger brain than a lion and I wouldn't fancy my chances.

But a silverback gorilla's also nigh on 500lb in weight and built like the proverbial brick outhouse

If the lion wins it'll be by a lucky bite/scratch early in the fight that will incapacitate the gorilla or sever a major blood vessel, dragged out I think the gorilla would have it.

Hmmm I think we need a bit of a Scientific perspective here so here it is:-

In the film George of the Jungle... George wrestles a lion and kicks its arse. As george was bought up by and educated by Gorrilas it follows that they also would be able to kick the arse of said Lion.

Science and logic... dontcha just love them !

George, George, George of the Jungle...

Ah, Weird Al - don't ya just him?

Apparently TV zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek (I have no idea if thats the correct spelling) did a programme where she said gorillas had to be wary of leopards. Are leopards stronger than lions? Or is she lying?

Imagine someone at the bbc lying. Whatever next?

Lion.

Proof: http://www.googlefight.com/cgi-bin/compare.pl?q1=gorilla&q2=lion&B1=Make+a+fight%21&compare=1&langue=us

Stay ,
WD

Oh sure, in a popularity contest a lion wins, but if fights were just about popularity Frank Bruno would have actually been good.

Am siding with the male lion. If I had the choice between licking my own privates and fighting a gorilla believe me I would be finding a nice shade tree

Too right. All this fussing and fighting - let the lion lie down with the gorilla and let there be nutwise autonibbling all round. Then everyone's happy.

Lion. Gob full of teeth designed for tearing flesh to bits and four paws full of claws. Gorilla has a mouth full of teeth made for eating bananas.

PP

But think of the gorillas reach. The lion would have to get in close to bite him.

Maybe they could settle it over a game of chess. The gorilla would have to win that, he's got opposable thumbs.