How Strong Is a Silverback Gorilla?

Standing a few metres from a silverback is the moment every gorilla trekker remembers: the sheer bulk of him, the size of his hands, the quiet power when he moves. So just how strong is he — and should you be worried?

Size

Adult male mountain gorillas — silverbacks, named for the saddle of grey hair that develops on their backs from about 12 years old — commonly weigh around 160–200 kg or more and stand roughly 1.5–1.8 m when upright. Their arm span can exceed 2 metres. Females weigh about half as much. More in our mountain gorilla facts.

Strength

You'll often read that a gorilla is "10 times stronger than a human". There's no reliable scientific measurement behind that figure, but it's clear they are vastly stronger than us: a silverback can snap bamboo stems and branches easily and tear apart tough vegetation all day. Their jaw muscles, anchored to a bony crest on top of the skull, give them one of the most powerful bites of any primate — built for grinding fibrous plants, not hunting.

Chest-beating and displays

The famous chest-beat is communication, not aggression. Research suggests the sound carries information about the beater's size, helping males avoid real fights. Silverbacks may also make bluff charges — a short run, crashing through vegetation — to assert dominance. With trekkers, rangers manage these moments; the rule is to crouch, look down and never run.

Gentle giants — mostly

For all that power, mountain gorillas are peaceful vegetarians who spend most of the day eating and resting. The silverback's job is to protect and lead his family, and the habituated gorilla families visited by trekkers have learned that quiet groups of people pose no threat. Serious incidents with tourists are extremely rare — read is gorilla trekking safe?

Gorilla vs lion, leopard or bear?

These are popular online debates, but mountain gorillas don't meet lions or bears in the wild, and leopards are no longer present in the Virunga volcanoes. Historically, the real threat to gorillas has always been people — which is why the permit system that funds their protection matters so much.

Questions