Why are chimpanzees stronger than humans?

This summer, two chimpanzees attacked a graduate student at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden. It wasn't pretty: In fact, the unfortunate student probably would have been better of had he been attacked by two humans. Chimps are far stronger than we are. read more

They say chimps are three to five times stronger than humans—something Hawkes would argue isn’t proven—but their explanation for why might still pass muster. They say that a big reason chimps can lift heavier things than we can, is that they have less control over how much muscle they use each time they lift. read more

The brutal attack last month by a pet chimpanzee on a Connecticut woman was a stark reminder that chimps are up to four times stronger than humans. One reason, a new study suggests, is that we pay a price for our fine motor skills. read more

One is that chimp muscles are stronger than human muscles; another is that chimps have more upper body, proportionately, than humans; and thirdly, chimp anatomy is tuned more for strength (and especially arm strength) than fine dexterity. read more