aren't gorillas gentle giants or something. i stay out of his way, he doesn't maul me, we have a nice time picking out clothes together in opposite sides of the mall
Male gorillas are super aggressive and territorial. Also they interpret nearly every human mannerism as a sign of aggression or a challenge. Smiling and eye contact are both things that zookeepers have to be taught to suppress when they’re in the vicinity of gorillas.
Well unless the mall is his native territory I think I'm fine, I wasn't planning on smiling at him
This is all irrelevant because the obvious answer is five black mambas. I mean, that’s not actually very many snakes, and malls are fucking huge. And unlike a gorilla you can definitely outrun a snake if it does show up. Find an open space in the mall where you can see any snake coming and just hangout out there. Fucking easy.
Misguided! I would much rather have a mallmate I can easily see and hear coming. I'm confident I can stay out of the gorilla's way, but if I step on a snake or one otherwise gets the jump on me, it's all over.
It's not just about the physical danger either, it's about my mental health. One gorilla, unless he's actively mad at me, I just keep a healthy distance between us and make sure I never get trapped. With the snakes, it requires a lot more constant vigilance
They should substitute "chimpanzee" for "gorilla" in this hypothetical.
if it was a chimp i'm taking the fucking snakes
Black mambas have a reputation build on being very venomous and very fast. I'm not sure why you would think you could outrun one (or five) in an enclosed space like a mall.
Malls usually have pretty slick floors, and escalators. I’d choose the gorilla simply because I think that would make an more interesting story (and a better-selling autobiography, I Survived the Mall Gorilla) but I think I’d stand a pretty good chance at avoiding the mamba. They’re fast and aggressive and will chase you but unless we started immediately beside each other I think my sneakers would have the terrain advantage over scutes.
this is too good to leave hidden in the replies
fucking enamored with the implication that this gorilla is fully intelligent but is trying to manufacture plausible deniability like the movie barnyard
I'm reading about black mamba aggression and venom. This shit can make you collapse in minutes.
I'll take the gorilla, at least I can see it coming
the "i can see it coming" angle has a downside, given that many apes view eye contact as aggression. you would have to control yourself never to look at it directly
i grew up in rattlesnake territory. let's see how the mambas compare
"mature specimens generally exceed 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and commonly grow to 3 m (9.8 ft)" "In a threat display, the black mamba usually opens its inky-black mouth, spreads its narrow neck-flap and sometimes hisses." "Despite its reputation as a formidable and highly aggressive species, the black mamba attacks humans only if it is threatened or cornered." (wikipedia)
✅ big enough to spot ✅ announces its presence as soon as it sees you ✅ would prefer to avoid an actual fight, meaning you have to start it ☝️ poor traction on slick surfaces, as noted above ❌ likely to be agitated already from being moved
i would take the snakes. snakes in this situation are more likely to find a hole and hide in it. the gorilla, on the other hand, will be roaming around looking for an exit, increasing the chance of direct confrontation























