Posted on 12/01/2013 12:34:56 PM PST by DogByte6RER
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 ...
Seemed more like the Amazon rain forest than the Africa I see in nature shows.
Siberian tigers are by far the largest. They live in coniferous and/or hardwood forests.
It all depends on whether we are comparing male tigers to male lions:
From Wikipedia:
Tigers are the most variable in size of all big cats, even more so than leopards and much more so than lions.[16] The Bengal, Caspian and Siberian tiger subspecies represent the largest living felids, and rank among the biggest felids that ever existed. An average adult male tiger from Northern India or Siberia outweighs an average adult male lion by around 45.5 kg (100 lb).[16] Females vary in length from 200 to 275 cm (79 to 108 in), weigh 65 to 167 kg (143 to 368 lb) with a greatest length of skull ranging from 268 to 318 mm (10.6 to 12.5 in). Males vary in size from 250 to 390 cm (98 to 150 in), weigh 90 to 306 kg (200 to 675 lb) with a greatest length of skull ranging from 316 to 383 mm (12.4 to 15.1 in).[17] Body size of different populations seems to be correlated with climate—Bergmann’s rule—and can be explained by thermoregulation.[4] Large male Siberian tigers can reach a total length of more than 3.5 m (11.5 ft) “over curves”, 3.3 m (10.8 ft) “between pegs” and a weight of 306 kg (675 lb). This is considerably larger than the size reached by the smallest living tiger subspecies, the Sumatran tiger, which reaches a body weight of 75 to 140 kg (165 to 310 lb). Of the total length of a tiger, the tail comprises 0.6 to 1.1 m (2.0 to 3.6 ft).[18][19] At the shoulder, tigers may variously stand 0.7 to 1.22 m (2.3 to 4.0 ft) tall.[5] The current record weight, per the Guinness Book of World Records, for a wild tiger was 389 kg (858 lb) for a Bengal tiger shot in 1967, though its weight may have been boosted because it had eaten a water buffalo the previous night.[20][21]
Tigresses are smaller than the males in each subspecies, although the size difference between male and female tigers tends to be more pronounced in the larger tiger subspecies, with males weighing up to 1.7 times more than the females.[22] In addition, male tigers have wider forepaw pads than females. Biologists use this difference in tracks to determine gender.[23] The skull of the tiger is very similar to that of the lion, though the frontal region is usually not as depressed or flattened, with a slightly longer postorbital region. The skull of a lion has broader nasal openings. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.[24]
Tiger claws are much sharper and retract to maintain sharpness, strengthened by large and tough tendons to take the weight acting on the claw.
The tiger’s agility in three dimensions will have made quick work of the bear’s physical integrity, bleeding it to death if the tiger didn’t swipe the bear’s jugular yet.
The Tiger is stronger and fiercer than the lion—BUT that being said—Lions hunt in packs (the only cat to do this) making them more dangerious. You may bag the lion but his mate will sneak up and bag you!
Who would win? A Kodiak Grizzle Bear vs. a Bigfoot.
Depend on which one is the bigger pussy, no?
(MMROWWRR!!)
The bigger the better! ;-)
My dad had some old 16mm newsreel movies back when I was a kid - he would show them when we had company. One of them included a lion - tiger fight in a pit, which IIRC the lion won. They also included stuff like Little Black Sambo cartoons which would send the racism industry into orgasmic shock if shown today.
Truly, they are scary, beautiful, but scary! They would be soooo pleased to kill and eat you!
The ultimate challenge would be Jon Bon Jovi vs. a small Humbolt squid in a plastic kiddie pool.
I’d take the Humbolt squid one on one.
However, throw in 2 members of the band then I give Jon a slight edge.
You should do screenplays.
I have read all of Jim Corbett’s books (he hunted down and killed numerous, notorious, man eating tigers and leopards in India from the 1890s to 1930s. Some had killed over 400 people) and I recall in one of his books where he witnessed a huge Himalayan bear attack a tiger. The fight was fierce with the tiger raking his claws across the bears sensitive nose before retreating unscathed and leaping across a 20 foot wide ravine to escape the bear. Corbett had to shoot the furious bear when it spotted Corbett hiding in the brush and came after him when the tiger escaped.
I do!
;)
Jim Corbett will forever be the man.
Looks like Cameron and Zabu of BCR. They were raised together and are best buddies tho he’s vasectomized so no cubs. Not neutered...destroys the mane.
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