Lions and Tigers

[Stuey]

If a lion and a tiger were to have a fight who'd win?

[Bob...]

Depends on whos rules they were to use. Tigers are notorious dirty fighters and will use anything they can lay their paws on.

[andjac]

ah yes thats true but lions hang around in gangs and believe me they'll all jump in!

[Stuey]

Thanks for your input! I am envisioning a straight fight between one male tiger and one male lion...basically which animal is the most fearsome. I say Tiger.

[andy hughes]

On that basis, the tiger will win hands down. Male lions are one of the laziest species on earth - the lioness does the hunting and raising of the cubs, male lions sleep about twenty hours out of twenty-four. They will avoid the bother of killing anything if they can chase another animal away from its dinner. a recent wildlife doc. showed a male lion chasing a pack of hyenas off a buffalo they had brought down - completely opposite to the preceived idea that lions hunt and hyenas scavenge.

[rinkytink]

Ahh.....but try putting either of them in the ring with a liger (lion and tiger cross). I reckon a Liger could take on both of them - they're massive.

[rinkytink]

Take a look at the Liger here (last picture at bottom):

http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/cross02a.h
tm

[tartanwiz]

The Bengal tiger is bigger and heavier than the African lion, so my money would be on the tiger.

[Korel]

In a streight Fight the Tiger is The bigger, stronger More powerful Creature therefore i would say it would kill the lion.

[Stuey]

Thanks for your answers folks...My research indicates that although Tigers are bigger and stronger they are solitary animals and so seldom have to fight other big cats. A male lion has to spar with other lions to keep his females....also his mane would prove a valuable tool in preventing chokes holds. However I am sticking with my original pick. Tiger would win.

[ogun]

Take a look at http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/conflict.html

This is a Tiger site and they give the verdict to the Lion.

The discovery channel ran a simulation in which taking in all issues the Lion won (and quickly).

Clyde Beatty, the legendary cat trainer said the Lion would win more often than not and this was based on experience.

There is a actually a sick film knocking around where a fight was filmed in a pit in the middle east and the lion tore the tiger to pieces.

Siberian Tigers are bigger than male lions but relatively docile.  Bengal Tigers are smaller than Siberian Tigers but much more more agressive and would be the best match for a Lion. Any other Tiger sub-species are smaller, less agressive and wouldn't stand a chance.

Tigers are primarily built to hunt - Male lions are built to fight (lionesses do most of the hunting and the males protect the rest of the pride).

The argument that a Tiger is bigger only applies to the Siberian sub-species, the Bengal is marginally heavier than a lion but all other Tigers are smaller. The Siberian  is also relatively docile - a st bernard dog is bigger than a bull terrier but I know where my money would go.

male Lion - built to fight

male Tiger - built to hunt.