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What Would Happen If a Lion Fought a Tiger?
IO9 ^ | December 1, 2013 | Esther Inglis-Arkell

Posted on 12/01/2013 12:34:56 PM PST by DogByte6RER

lion vs tiger

What Would Happen If a Lion Fought a Tiger?

We've always been speculating about battles between superheroes. We know the outcome of octopus versus shark. At last we have an expert speculating on lion versus tiger. Which one would win?

Since there's a good chance you've spent the weekend slowly tearing apart a ritualistically slaughtered bird, before going out and trampling your fellow citizens in arenas, you probably won't be too horrified by speculating on the outcome of animal fights. After all, the fights in question are, for the most part, in the past. Romans used to pit lions against tigers for entertainment. Today, they are kept apart, but there have been a few incidents during which lions and tigers in zoos or private collections have accidentally been put in the same room.

While we don't approve of fighting animals for sport, there's a difference between approval and curiosity. Thankfully there are experts who can answer the question. Craig Saffoe, a curator of big cats, told Life's Little Mysteries that he would bet on the tiger. Larger tigers weigh in at about the same weight of lions, but don't have the same social contact. They're less likely to engage in play-fighting, or sparring, and more likely to kill.

It looks like history backs him up, with historical accounts of animal fighting recording that the tiger came out on top. Still, in modern encounters, there was some variation based on the temperament and experience of each of the animals.

(Excerpt) Read more at io9.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Miscellaneous; Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Science; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: bigcats; catfight; cats; feline; felines; kittyping; lion; tiger; whatif; zoology
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Bengal Tiger/ African Lion Size Comparison
1 posted on 12/01/2013 12:34:56 PM PST by DogByte6RER
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To: DogByte6RER

ask the ancient Romans..they did this all the time


2 posted on 12/01/2013 12:38:01 PM PST by telstar12.5 (...always bring gunships to a gun fight...)
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To: DogByte6RER

The tiger is more agile, more intelligent due to its solitary nature, and evolved in challenging terrains with complex features. It will win a death match with a lion.


3 posted on 12/01/2013 12:38:33 PM PST by James C. Bennett (An Australian.)
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 photo 186312.jpg Gotta love those catfights ...
4 posted on 12/01/2013 12:39:01 PM PST by DogByte6RER ("Loose lips sink ships")
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To: Slings and Arrows

Kitty ping!


5 posted on 12/01/2013 12:41:01 PM PST by Perdogg (Ted Cruz-Rand Paul 2016)
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To: DogByte6RER

And now for something that puts a knot in liberal knickers. How to fight a baby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTWfqi3-3qU


6 posted on 12/01/2013 12:43:38 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: James C. Bennett

The lion because of its pride has fought many battles during his ascension. He may be a better fighter with that practice. Look at a full grown male lion. He has the scars of these battles all up and down his face and for legs.


7 posted on 12/01/2013 12:45:44 PM PST by rsobin
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To: DogByte6RER

Mongo like cavegirls!

;^)


8 posted on 12/01/2013 12:47:56 PM PST by elcid1970 ("In the modern world, Muslims are living fossils.")
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To: DogByte6RER

The last time The Lion beat the Tiger. These days we call it “The Opium Wars”


9 posted on 12/01/2013 12:48:05 PM PST by null and void (I'm betting on an Obama Trifecta: A Nobel Peace Prize, an Impeachment, AND a War Crimes Trial...)
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To: DogByte6RER

One on one? The tiger 4 times out of 5.

Now toss a polar bear into the mix. The polar bear wins 99 times out of 100.


10 posted on 12/01/2013 12:49:32 PM PST by piytar (The predator-class is furious that their prey are shooting back.)
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To: DogByte6RER

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_versus_lion


11 posted on 12/01/2013 12:51:26 PM PST by EEGator
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To: rsobin

John Varty, owner of the Londolozi Reserve in South Africa, said, “People always ask me which one is bigger? If a tiger and a lion had a fight, which one would win? Well, I’ve seen tigers crunch up a full-grown leopard tortoise like it was nothing. And lions try, but they just don’t get it right. If there’s a fight, the tiger will win, every time.”[21]

The animal rescue organisation Big Cat Rescue of Tampa, Florida answered, “While we would much prefer that people focus their thoughts on saving these magnificent animals than on who would win if a lion and tiger fight, the power of these two largest cats seems to raise this question in people’s minds. While it would depend on the size, age and aggressiveness of the specific animals involved, generally tigers have a significant advantage.”[22]

The conservation charity Save China’s Tigers stated, “Recent research indicates that the tiger is indeed stronger than the lion in terms of physical strength. Lions hunt in prides, so it would be in a group and the tigers as a solitary creature so it would be on its own. A tiger is generally physically larger than a lion. Most Experts would favour a Siberian and Bengal tiger over an African lion.”[23]

National Geographic Channel’s documentary The Last Lions of Asia mentioned that a tiger has a weight advantage of 50 kilograms (110 lb) over a lion, and can kill a lion in a fight.[24]

References available at WiKi.


12 posted on 12/01/2013 12:51:45 PM PST by James C. Bennett (An Australian.)
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To: Perdogg; Slings and Arrows; Glenn; republicangel; Beaker; BADROTOFINGER; etabeta; asgardshill; ...
Looks like a draw.


13 posted on 12/01/2013 12:54:36 PM PST by Slings and Arrows (You can't have Ingsoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: null and void

It would be fun for Detroit fans to see the Lions play the Tigers in a neutral sport, such as basketball.


14 posted on 12/01/2013 12:55:19 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: piytar

From Wild Animal Fight Club:

One frequently requested Animal Fight is Siberian Tiger vs Polar Bear. These two dominant predators are the masters of their domains and even humans fear them in their natural environments.

In this ultimate bear vs big cat fight, the big teeth and the ability to hold on is key. The big cat’s great agility will win this one through though, as it can dominate space in three directions and the polar bear cannot easily handle an agile enemy. The polar bear, slower and not accustomed to fast moving enemies that fight back, will be unable to handle a big cat with claws and teeth. The fight is over almost before it has started, with the Siberian Tiger able to run and move swiftly in the environment.


15 posted on 12/01/2013 12:56:26 PM PST by James C. Bennett (An Australian.)
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To: DogByte6RER
Apparently none of these so called experts saw ‘Narnia’. Aslan is an easy winner against all comers.
16 posted on 12/01/2013 12:57:44 PM PST by bramps (Mark Levin: Would Christie, McConnell, and Boehner repeal obamacare? Not a chance!)
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To: DogByte6RER

I remember being eight years old and watching Tarzan movies in which one would occasionally see a battle between a tiger and a lion, notwithstanding the fact that they occupy different continents and would not meet each other in the jungle. But what would I have known back then?

Anyway, I cannot recall which animal won. I think, though, that I would have been rooting for the tiger; I thought then that they were the neatest of all the big cats. I still do.


17 posted on 12/01/2013 12:58:28 PM PST by OldPossum ("It's" is the contraction of "it" and "is"; think about ITS implications.)
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To: piytar

I’ll put my money on a honey badger.LOL


18 posted on 12/01/2013 12:58:57 PM PST by baddog 219
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To: James C. Bennett

How about against a grizzly?


19 posted on 12/01/2013 1:00:00 PM PST by bramps (Mark Levin: Would Christie, McConnell, and Boehner repeal obamacare? Not a chance!)
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To: James C. Bennett

I’d pick a Kodiak Bear over a Siberian Tiger.


20 posted on 12/01/2013 1:01:33 PM PST by EEGator
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