Wildlife expert and primate specialist Kaleb says he’s solved the viral debate about whether or not a single silverback gorilla could defeat an army of 100 men.
It’s a conversation that’s completely taken over social media, and it’s all thanks to an X user named ‘DreamChasnMike,’ who first posed the question in a tweet on April 24, 2025.
“I think 100 ****** could beat one gorilla, everybody just gotta be dedicated to the sh*t,” he joked — and it wasn’t long before the entire internet weighed in with their theories on the topic.
Most users are skeptical that 100 men could successfully defeat a gorilla in hand-to-hand combat, and the very question has spawned an endless wave of memes that are nearly impossible to avoid online… but one man says he’s solved the hypothetical battle.
The silverback gorilla is at the center of a viral online debate asking the question: Could 100 men defeat a gorilla in hand-to-hand combat?
Expert ‘answers’ 100 men vs gorilla debate
On April 27, alleged wildlife biologist Kaleb humorously broke his silence on the viral debate, remarking that he “just remembered I have an actual degree specifically in monkeys and am uniquely qualified to address the 100 men vs one gorilla discourse.”
Kaleb currently works primarily with animals like black bears, pronghorns, birds, and bats. He boasts a bachelor’s degree in ecology with a minor in primatology, the study of apes, according to his social media.
X: cowboyKal3b‘cowboyKal3b’ claims to be a wildlife biologist who works with bears and smaller animals like birds, and is a staunch advocate for wildlife conservation.
According to Kaleb, 100 men would easily incapacitate a single gorilla — but not without taking a few initial casualties.
“Most people drastically overestimate the size, strength, intelligence, endurance, and aggressiveness [of a silverback gorilla],” he wrote in a thread that’s garnered nearly 17 million views at the time of writing.
“On average, a male silverback weighs in at around 300-400 pounds (largest ever almost 600). Still massive, and is probably around four to five times stronger than the average man who works out, so we are definitely taking casualties, but this isn’t enough to just rip apart every man instantaneously before a couple guys on each limb are able to restrain him.”
Kaleb says that, as gorillas’ third-closest genetic relative, they share many of humankind’s weaknesses — but are more prone to tiring out quickly in spite of their great strength.
With this in mind, Kaleb says that humans’ endurance and sheer numbers would easily outdo the animal, wearing it out and ultimately bringing it to its bitter end.
“He’d likely tire out fairly quickly relative to humans, who have kinda maxed out our cardio endurance in exchange for the strength other apes have retained. An exhausted gorilla would struggle to fight like seven guys, let alone dozens.
“I think 30-40 men would probably be enough to take on the average silverback, and that’s all assuming he has a counter-instinctual bloodlust rather than fleeing from a large group of aggressors like any wild animal.”
Kaleb’s expertise comes as the debate around this topic continues to rage online, even catching the attention of Elon Musk himself, who responded to YouTube star MrBeast’s post jokingly pitching a video idea to test out the fight.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.