Who would win in a fight to the finish?
Lion stats:Vital Statistics:
[There are a lot of variation in the figures found online. I tried to collect them from reputed instituion and/or govt sources]
Largest Lion in captivity: 806 lbs (366 kg)
Largest Lion found in the wild: 702 lbs (318 kg) and 11â?² (3.35 m)
Average size (mode) of African Lion: 410 lbs (186 kg) and 8â??10â?³ (2.7 m)
** Lions stand around 1.15m (including mane) at shoulder as opposed to 1m of a tiger **
The King of The Kings:
When you think of a lion, you think of an African lion. The Asiatic ones are somewhat smaller in size and relatively unknown living in the tiger country. There is no significant variation in size among the African lions. In some online forums it is claimed that Ngorongoro Crater lions are the largest sub-specis of lions. But there is no base to that claim… The Tsavo lions are generally considered more aggressive, but they are naturally maneless.
Choice: African lion (with mane).
Relative advantages over a tiger:
Thick protective mane. It also makes a lion look much bigger, heavier and taller than it really is. This is of immediate psychological disadvantage to any animal fighting a lion. Itâ??s downright scary to see a lion coming towards you roaring. A lioness, even if it were of similar size, wouldnâ??t inspire as much awe. From the fight videos, it does seem that the mane is of huge advantage to the lion. In the only fight-video of a maneless (shaved) lion, the lion seemed too easy to beat by the tiger. The mane is the biggest weapon for a lion â?? both for defence and for scaring off the opponent.
More massively built shoulders. Both the cats have extremely powerful and muscular â??shouldersâ?? and forelimbs.
Taller structure. This makes the lion more intimidating. Also, this somewhat compensates for the weaker hindquarters.
Tiger stats:Vital Statistics:
[There are a lot of variation in the figures found online. I tried to collect them from reputed instituion and/or govt sources]
Largest Siberian Tiger found in the wild : 845 lbs/ 384 kg.
Longest Siberian Tiger found in the wild: 12â??9â?³/ 3.9 m
Largest Bengal Tiger found in the wild: 857 lbs/ 389 kg. 3.22 m 10 ft 7 in between pegs (3.37 m 11ft over the curves)
(The largest tiger ever held in captivity, and the heaviest â??natural big catâ?? on record, is a nine-year-old male Siberian named â??Jaipurâ??, owned by animal trainer Joan Byron-Marasek of Clarksburg, New Jersey, USA. This tiger measured 3.32 m 10 ft 11in in total length and weiged 423 kg 932 lb in October 1986)
Average size (mode) of Siberian Tigers living in the wild: 550 lbs (250 kg) and 11â?²/ 3.35 m
Average size (mode) of Bengal Tigers living in the wild: 500 lbs (227 kg) and 9â??6â?³/ 2.9 m (Bengal tigers have a slightly shorter tail than the Siberians)
** The Bengal Tigers have the longest canines **
The Greatest Cat:
Tigers vary in size as well as in aggressiveness (supposedly, at least), not only across different sub-species but also depending on the region they inhabit. Bengal tigers found in Nepal, Bhutan and in Assam, Uttaranchal & West Bengal (Northern part) states in India (collectively, the tigers of the Terrai and Duars) are larger than Bengal tigers found in Sunderbans and Rajasthan. The Sumatran tigers are supposedly the fiercest but they are the smallest sub-species of tigers. The Siberian tigesr are the biggest, but considered to be less agile and less aggressive than a Bengal tiger. The Bengal tigers are most widely touted as the most skillful and overall best breed of tigers â?? nearly as big (male ~230 Kg, ~3 m) as the Siberian ones but much more fierce, agile and strong. The Bengal tigers of the Terrai are often bigger than average Siberian tigers (Update on Aug 4, 2007: Iâ??ve found this in many a trustworthy source that the Bengals are now considered larger than the Siberians).
Choice: Bengal/Siberian Tiger.
Relative Advantages Over a Lion:
Longer and often larger size. Now this is often posed by the people who pick a tiger to win, as a serious threat to a lion. A larger yet more agile body of a tiger is really a serious threat to a lion. But this alone can not be a decisive factor.
More powerful back legs. This helps a tiger to leap more, to spring from a disadvantageous position and to make sudden moves. This is of tremendous advantage to the tiger. This gives the tiger the ability to rest its weight on the hind legs and make swipes with both of the front legs. Plus, the strong hindquarters allow them to attack from the side and spring from unexpected/disadvantageous corners. Moreover, a tiger makes faster swipes than a lion. Tigers are more agile than lions.
Skills of ambush attacking, tree-climbing, swimming etc are handy if the going gets tough. Plus, tigers are faster runners. These are all defence mechanisms for a tiger just as the mane is for a lion.
Longer canines, longer claws and larger paws. These are the ultimate weapons of a cat. Tigers have considerable advantage here.
