Tiger vs. Lion

Now, let's refer to the lion and tiger's strengths and weaknesses. A key feature in a fight is speed. Being cats, both tigers and lions use amazing speed when fighting. But when it comes down to it, the tiger is clearly faster. Like I said before, if you have seen a tiger fight before, you probably noticed the rapid speed they swipe and throw punches with. This is one of the tiger's strengths. It also has another advantage: accuracy and evasiveness. Tigers are more accurate when they strike, and they are also better at dodging opponent's blows. Note that a lion's mane slows it down juring a fight, which is why the agility and evasiveness are the tiger's advantages. And of coarse, there is the case of the lion's mane. The lion's mane protects it's neck from fatal throat bites. This is the lion's advantage. But the thing is, in fights, tigers do not attack with a bite to the throat. In a television show called "Animal Face-Off", the lion won because his mane protected him when the tiger attempted a throat-bite. The problem with this show is that the "experts" think that a cat is going to bring predatory/hunting skills into a fight. They were wrong. In a fight, both tigers and lions will attack each other's head, face, spine, and legs. And then, there is another thing that can prove to be an advantage: Stamina. This goes to.... Drum roll, please....... The tiger. Reason? Because, as I pointed out before, the tiger fights with bears, and bears have a longer stanima than cats. But as if this were not enough information about lions and tigers, there's more! The fight isn't decided yet! This is probably a very important part in a fight: Which animal is smarter? To decide this, experts would have to consider the habitat and behaviors of these two carnivores. The lion lives out on the open savanna, which is an overall simple biome. Tigers, on the other hand, live in the dense jungle. This is a complex biome, even to look at, not to mention navigate through. The tiger spots prey with his keen eyes in this habitat. The jungle also includes some grassland and open fields, so the tiger has experience chasing prey and fighting to take it down, as well as being an ambush killer. The lion, on the other hand, hunts in a pride. Hunting in packs has been proven to require a lot of strategy and concentration. (Take wolves, for example.) Lions chase down their prey, directing it from one lion to the other, and forming a formation of a half moon, or semi-circle, around it. They have many other strategies to take down their prey that a tiger would never use. However, studies on the big cats' brains have shown that the tiger's mind is a more developed then the lion's. This probably has something to do with their evolution. And one more thing about the topic of habitat and lifestyle: What kind of prey the tiger and lion hunt. We already established that these animals do not bring hunting skills into a fight. But some people speculate that lions are stronger because they hunt huge buffalo, and tigers only hunt deer. Actually, tigers hunt the largest cattle in the world: the guar, and they have even been known to take down small Asian elephants. It takes a whole pride of lions to take down a large African elephant. This is looking pretty one-sided, isn't it? But, there is still one very, very important topic to consider. The animals' courage and ferocity. Courage is the lion's major advantage. It is true that, when lions and tigers meet in reserves, tigers sometimes submit to lions. Male lions can seem more agressive, and naturally take control over the situation, like a true king. And when they fight, they don't easily back down, they fight with a stubborn desire to win. (This is another advantage) But the reason for this is NOT that tigers are cowards, they are simply trying to avoid an unnecessary fight. When a lion insists on a battle, and the tiger is pressed to fight, the tables are turned. Within the Bengal tiger scientists found a most disturbing ferocity, and when it comes to the decision to fight, this cat attacks bravely and violently, most often winning any fight against a lion. In the end, the tiger's agility, stanima, ferocity, and power comes out on top. The majority of experts agree that the tiger would be victorious about 90% of the time. (9 out of 10 fights) So now, it is clear that ... The Tiger is the true king of beasts.