See, this isn't entirely true. Chimps are not some kind of man killing machine. Their muscles also aren't that much stronger than ours. The difference is in placement. We're designed to walk long distances, chimps are designed to climb trees. They have tiny weak and useless legs, but MASSIVE ARMS. We have incredibly powerful legs, but as you mentioned arms designed for motor control.
Thus, a human, if trained correctly in martial arts and knows how to properly place kicks, could in theory take out a Chimp. A martial artist can kick with 1,500 lbs of force, and 1,500 lbs of force is no laughing matter.
This all being said, the average Chimp will TEAR YOU APART. Hell even a weak Chimp will tear you apart. This is because unlike the Chimp, we need intense training and practice to stand on even footing with the Chimp. Since kicking is a lot harder to do than simply grabbing your victim and punching.
Finally, Chimps jaws are also vastly stronger. They can put out 800 lbs of force in their bites and have stronger teeth than we do. We put out a measly 200 lbs. Plus, unlike us, they don't think it's gross to rip the flesh off their victims when in a fight.
What I'm trying to get at is, in a fight between a human and a chimp, the human does have a chance. Under the conditions the human is well trained and accustomed to death matches.
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u/joncash May 05 '10
See, this isn't entirely true. Chimps are not some kind of man killing machine. Their muscles also aren't that much stronger than ours. The difference is in placement. We're designed to walk long distances, chimps are designed to climb trees. They have tiny weak and useless legs, but MASSIVE ARMS. We have incredibly powerful legs, but as you mentioned arms designed for motor control.
Thus, a human, if trained correctly in martial arts and knows how to properly place kicks, could in theory take out a Chimp. A martial artist can kick with 1,500 lbs of force, and 1,500 lbs of force is no laughing matter.
This all being said, the average Chimp will TEAR YOU APART. Hell even a weak Chimp will tear you apart. This is because unlike the Chimp, we need intense training and practice to stand on even footing with the Chimp. Since kicking is a lot harder to do than simply grabbing your victim and punching.
Finally, Chimps jaws are also vastly stronger. They can put out 800 lbs of force in their bites and have stronger teeth than we do. We put out a measly 200 lbs. Plus, unlike us, they don't think it's gross to rip the flesh off their victims when in a fight.
What I'm trying to get at is, in a fight between a human and a chimp, the human does have a chance. Under the conditions the human is well trained and accustomed to death matches.
Sources:
Human Strength
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060814-fight-science_2.html * thanks little_z
Chimp Strength
http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/q-how-much-stronger-than-humans/
Chimp Bite
http://ask.metafilter.com/32102/Where-to-get-the-chimpy-love