As puerile as it may sound, the question of the more superior between these two biggest members of the felidae has always been an issue of controversy. While both animals are unaware of the brimming rivalry in which they have been set, the debate remains a heated one among zoologists, cat experts and admirers of the big cats in general.
Discussions about the comparative merits of these two cats among bystanders over the years have been skewed considering the location of their habitats and the mythologies associated with them. This has in turn led to all sorts of well-calculated misinformation coupled with staged managed fights pitting one over the other without any background recourse.
Going by my appreciation of comparative psychology, I would be giving an insight into the profiles of these cats before then analyzing their strengths and weaknesses with reference to their truest nature and not possibilities.
Lion
Binomial name: Panthera Leo
Subspecies: Asiatic lion, Barbary lion, West African lion, Northeast Congo lion, Masai lion, Katanga lion, Transvaal lion
Largest and wildest specie: West African lion
Habitat: Savanna and Grassland
Lifespan: 10-14 years
Weight: Average weight males is 181 kg for African lion while some males exceed 250kg in weight
Tiger
Binomial name: Panthera Tigris
Subspecies: Bengal tiger, Indochinese tiger, Malayan tiger, Siberian tiger, Southchina tiger, Sumatran tiger
Largest and wildest specie: Bengal tiger
Habitats: Open grassland, tropical mangrove swamps and rainforests
Lifespan: 15-20 years
Weight: 221-230kg (Depending on the subspecie). Some Siberian tigers are known to weigh up to 360kg
Having given a peripheral description of their individual profiles, it is imperative I point out at this juncture that I do not intend giving a clear verdict as to which animal rules or drools over and before the other. The essence of wanting to highlight their comparative advantages is simply for the purpose of describing the beauties of these two magnificent cats.
Comparative size
The tiger is not significantly bigger than a lion despite having possibly several hundred pounds more weight. This is important because it indicates the strength of the Tiger is much greater due to higher muscle density. Denser muscle is also stronger muscle. Also notice the width of the legs on the tiger and his lower center of gravity. This makes it easier for the Tiger to remain low and avoid attack.
Despite being lower when going in for a leap attack or rearing up on its hind quarters it can reach a greater distance and swipe with a bigger, heavier paw before the lion can even reach. On hind legs the tiger has leverage over the lion and in a fight both will have to rear up to both block and strike. Lions are not as good at rearing up and rely on the teeth and mouth as a primary weapon then make attacks of opportunity with the claws.. The neck tufts on a lion do protect its neck from most attacks but the tiger has powerful rear claws it can use to dig into the lions belly if it can get him on the ground and can easily land potent swipes with the front paws and its 3 inch long claws. Lions just don't have as much leverage for such a swipe.
Similarly a chimpanzee is roughly the size of a man but a full grown chimp is 3-5 times as strong as a human because his muscles are denser and stronger and the ligaments are engaged to get better leverage. Chimps though not any bigger than a human are much more deadly due to their increased strength and leverage.
Temperament
The tiger is a solitary hunter while the lion is a social animal, living and hunting in groups called prides. Though lions cooperate in hunting, the pride is very competitive during feeding. Weaker animals are pushed aside or chased off. The competitive nature of this social structure makes the lion more prone to fighting, especially males whose very lives depend (since the male isn't as specialized in hunting on the open plains) on getting a pride of their own. The tiger is very quick so keepers of captive tigers must take care to avoid a sudden attack.
The tiger is more used to fighting one on one than the lion. This could be a huge advantage. Also the Tiger is a brutal and fast fighter. The Tiger regularly takes on game that is far larger and stronger than the Lion and does such alone. The Lion requires the help of the pride to take out a large animal. When a Tiger fights he fights to kill not just to push aside someone and get better food. The tiger does not win by intimidation and social challenge he goes into a fight all or nothing. The lion being social tries to win without having to fight if he can and resorts to intimidation, wrestling and rolling first. He does not get serious from the beginning.
Expert opinions
If a lion and tiger got into a fight, who would win?
While cat experts 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. This nonetheless would depend on the size, age and aggressiveness of the specific animals involved, generally tigers have a significant advantage. On average tigers are larger, but more importantly they are more capable of fighting standing on their hind legs. Some people have argued that the male lion’s mane offers some advantage in protecting his neck, but this is disputed. Some reports claim that when lions and tigers were pitted against each other in the Coliseum in ancient Rome, the tigers always won. In recent centuries there are almost no opportunities for tigers and lions to cross paths in the wild because tigers are found in Asia while Lions are found in Africa except for a very small population in one area in Asia.
Biologist Gives Odds On Lion-Tiger Fight
"The outcome of a given fight completely depends on the individuals: their history, fighting style and physiology," said Craig Saffoe, a biologist and the curator of great cats at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, D.C.
"But if I had to put my money on it I would give the advantage to the tiger,"
"What I've seen from tigers, they seem to be more aggressive; they go for the throat, go for the kill," Saffoe said. "Whereas the lions are more, 'I will just pound you and play with you.'
Lion’s Relative Advantages
On the average, lions stand a bit taller at the shoulder than the tigers. There is not a significant difference in height, though, and has been mentioned in the Size sections for both the cats. The lion appears to be much taller than it really is not only because of the mane but also because of its struts (walking or standing in a dominating posture with straightened limbs and head held high). On the other hand, a tiger looks shorter than it really is, because of its bent-limb and head-down walking. Still, lions do stand a little taller than tigers. This may be of advantage for paw-swipes, and disadvantage for attacking the throat.
In captivity, lions sometimes tend to grow as big as tigers, even bigger sometimes, and this also results in the few lion-victories in fights between captivity-bred and/or captivity-raised lions and tigers. As mentioned in the documented fights here, in captivity, lions have won some battles against the tigers. The weight of captive cats depends on various factors, though.
No animal is “born to fight”, but, living in prides, a lion tends to develop an attitude to dominate other members of his pride. This does not seem like a big advantage, though. How an animal behaves in a social living and how he reacts to a formidable opponent in a fight can be entirely different. But, we may assume that a lion will charge first in a battle with a tiger and this may give him some advantage.
Even though the main functionality of the mane of a male lion is still a matter of debate, it does give a lion some protection against attacks on the neck and throat. But that’s not a huge advantage for two reasons. Firstly, big cats don’t generally attack the neck straightaway in fights against other cats. Secondly, even though the mane can be a good protection against the canines of smaller animals, it may not be effective against the long canines of a tiger.
It is no gainsaying that a lion is more determined than the tiger. When a tiger doesn’t achieve his purpose in the early stages of a bout, he retreats. Any attempt to reignite such a bout fills the tiger with apprehension. The lion on the other hand is arrogant and obnoxious, thus willing to protect its ego by never backing down from a fight.
Once he commits himself to an attack, he is far more determined and much harder to shake off.
Tiger’s Relative Advantages
Tigers (Siberian and Bengal) are generally larger than lions. A large tiger may be more than 100 lb heavier than a large lion. Tigers often cross the weight of 500 lb more often while lions are very rarely found to cross 500 lb in the wild. An African lion, of course, would stand virtually no chance against a huge Siberian tiger in a straight fight, but it could easily handle the much smaller Sumatran and Javan tigers.
But size alone cannot be a decisive factor in a fight.
Tigers are more active in the wild. Of all the felids, lions are the least active. Also, tigers are far more agile than the lions. Superior agility may give a tiger an important advantage over a lion. The striped cat is a faster-moving, more powerful and agile animal than the lion, and has a superior fighting technique. Not just agility, “a tiger is a better fighter than a lion. Although the lion may be the king of beasts in looks, actions, and honor, he is far from it in fighting ability. The clash between the lion and the tiger invariably ends in a victory for the striped beast.
A probable advantage for the tiger, which is seldom mentioned in debates, is that it may be more intelligent than the lion. A tiger’s brain is roughly 16% larger (by volume) than an equal sized lion.
One of the most important advantages a tiger has over lion is that it can stand, for some time, on its hind legs only, making the front paws free to make swipes. A lion can seldom do that. In the documented fights, in most of the cases where there are details of the fight, the tiger seemed to gain advantage for this reason. Both-paws swipe is way more effective than single-paw swipe. It not only theoretically doubles the number of swipes, it increases the reach, increases the force, and allows a tiger to defend/block a swipe and make an offensive swipe at nearly the same time. Moreover, the relatively stronger hind-quarters allow a tiger to keep balance while making swipes with both the front paws. It is interesting to note that a tiger actually implements what looks more like a‘footwork’ with the hind legs to keep balance and to move quickly for both defence and offence. A lion, in comparison, has minimal use of the hind legs in a fight.
Tigers are not only stronger than lions; they have much better weaponry than lions do. Tigers have longer upper canine teeth, greater bite force quotient, much larger paws and claws, and more massively built forelimbs and back limbs.
The More Likely Winner
Considering two healthy wild specimens in their prime and of above-average size, it would be a spectacular fight, provided there is no escape route. A tiger avoids unnecessary fights, and may just escape if it can. But when drawn into a fight, it is a formidable fighter. This fact has been reflected in Clyde Beatty’s book when he talks about his tiger. When the issue was forced upon him and there was no escape from a battle, he fought like a demon and usually won
if the specimens are of approximately the same weight, it can go either way with the animal fighting more aggressively having a better chance of victory.
Other than that, the advantages of the respective cats may compensate each other out. The lion’s taller structure may somehow counter the advantage a tiger has of swiping with both the front legs at the same time. Lion’s mane may also give it some protection as well as ‘psychological advantage’ to counter the size of the tiger and its better weaponry. The tiger, though, may still have a significant advantage owing to the far superior agility, greater strength and better fighting skill.
If there is a considerable size difference, the bigger animal stands a better chance of winning.
Overall, the two seem to be fairly evenly matched at equal size and age with the tiger having a better chance of coming out victorious. Tigers, being often larger than lions, should come on top most of the times. The documented fights of thesde two cats support this conclusion.
