How Strong Is a Chimpanzee Compared to a Human? The Real Answer
How strong is a chimpanzee compared to a human? You may have heard that chimps are five to eight times stronger than people. That is a myth. Modern research puts a chimp's muscle at about 1.35 times stronger than human muscle of the same size, which is still more than enough to make an adult chimp dangerous.
Quick Facts
- Species: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)
- Weight: Adult males about 40 to 70 kg (90 to 150 lb)
- Strength: Muscle about 1.35 times stronger than human muscle, size for size
- Why: More fast-twitch muscle fibres, built for bursts of power
- The myth: "5 to 8 times stronger" comes from early 1900s tests that later studies didn't support
Where the "5 Times Stronger" Myth Came From
In the early 20th century, a few tests suggested chimps could pull several times more than a strong man. Later tests found much smaller differences, but the big number stuck and still shows up all over the internet.
What Science Says Now
A 2017 study in the journal PNAS compared chimpanzee and human muscle directly. It found chimp muscle produces about 1.35 times more force and power than human muscle of the same size. The main reason is that chimps have more fast-twitch fibres, the kind built for quick, explosive effort, while human muscle has more slow-twitch fibres built for endurance. That trade-off helps explain why people are better long-distance walkers and runners.
Why a Chimp Is Still Dangerous
Size for size, a chimp is stronger, and adult males also have long arms, powerful upper bodies and large canine teeth. Wild chimps can be aggressive, especially toward strangers, and pet chimps have seriously injured people, including a widely reported 2009 attack in Connecticut. Experts agree that chimpanzees are not pets.
Strong and Smart
Chimps are also some of the cleverest animals on Earth. Jane Goodall's work at Gombe in Tanzania showed them making and using tools to fish termites out of mounds. For more animal minds, see The Smartest Animals in History.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a chimpanzee stronger than a human?
Yes, but not by as much as the myth says. A 2017 study found chimp muscle is about 1.35 times stronger than human muscle of the same size.
Why are chimpanzees stronger than humans?
Mostly because their muscles have more fast-twitch fibres, built for short bursts of power. Human muscle has more slow-twitch fibres, built for endurance.
Can a chimpanzee be kept as a pet?
Experts strongly advise against it. Adult chimps are strong and unpredictable, and pet chimps have caused serious injuries.
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- Ham the Chimp: The First American in Space Was Not an Astronaut
- The Barbary Macaques of Gibraltar
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Sources
- O'Neill et al., PNAS (2017): Chimpanzee super strength and human skeletal muscle evolution: the 1.35 times figure and fast-twitch fibres
- Wikipedia: Chimpanzee: size, behavior and tool use
- Jane Goodall Institute: About Jane: her research at Gombe
- Wikipedia: Travis (chimpanzee): the 2009 Connecticut attack
More true animal stories: From Paw to Tail Blog
Cover photo: Hans Hillewaert via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.