While I feel like most people with common sense realize that wild animals – particularly those heavyweight predators like lions, bears, and elephants – are beautiful and majestic but dangerous creatures to be respected and avoided at all costs, not everyone is on board with that idea. In fact, a whopping 8% of Americans believe they could single-handedly take on a lion in a fist fight. Frankly, I’m speechless.
- Yes, this is really a thing. A poll by YouGov pitted 34 different animals against one another to see which one Americans believed would come out on top in a fight. Each animal was then ranked by “win percentage,” a number determined by how often the 1,224 respondents believed that animal would win against another.
- Some beasts are universally mightier than others. Elephants, rhinoceros, tigers, and grizzly bears fared well, with a win score in the 70% range. Hippos, lions, crocodiles, alligators, gorillas, polar bears, jaguars, and leopards were in the 60% range, so it’s clear here there are some favorites.
- So which animals do humans think they can beat? Yes, 8% of Americans do believe they can beat lions, but that’s not the only animal man believes he’s stronger than. Perhaps unsurprisingly, rats, house cats, geese, and medium-sized dogs seem to be pretty easy to take on, at least in the respondent’s minds. However, it’s mad to think that 15% of Americans believe they can fight King Cobras, 12% think they could beat a wolf, 9% believe they could take on a crocodile, and a shocking 6% even believe they could overcome a Grizzly bear.
- Perhaps it’s better if we stay away from wild animals. There’s next to no reason you would ever even encounter any of these animals in the wild, let alone have to fist fight them. Let’s all just agree to live peacefully and in harmony, shall we? I wouldn’t fancy anyone’s chances against most of these animals!
