Tigers Vs Lions…Who Would
Win?
Tigers and lions are probably two of the scariest animals to have ever walked the earth. They are huge,
have long claws and teeth that would rip a human being into shreds within minutes.
But what happens when these two apex predators go head to head? Let's find out!
Today on 100M we'll be talking a long and hard look at the ten different ways these animals compare,
and we'll be checking out which animal is most likely to win a bout. You will absolutely NOT believe the
animal most likely to win this duel!
1 Cultural Depictions
Since ancient days, tigers and their characteristics have been sources of fascination for human beings.
And this continues to present day as they are usually quite visible as important cultural and media
symbols. Asides this, tigers are also considered as one of the charismatic megafaunas and are used as
the face of conservation campaigns all over the world. In 2004, an online poll conducted by Animal
planet that involved over 50 thousand viewers from over 23 countries showed that 21% of voters voted
for the Tiger as the world's favorite animal.
Guess which animal came second? The dog.
However, while the tiger is big in human cultural depictions, the lion carries a lot of weight as well.
In fact, the lion is one of the most easily recognizable animal symbols in human culture. The image of
the lion has been depicted thousands of times over hundreds of years and in so many societies that it's
impossible to keep count. Even today, the lion is depicted quite often in literature and movies. Perhaps,
the most poignant example of these depictions is The Lion King, a movie centered around the premise
that the lion exists as the king of the jungle. This is probably due to the fact that the lion has been used
as a symbol or royalty for kings all over the world.
From that perspective, it only makes sense that the lion would be the king in its own domain. In the end,
it seems like the lion is more favorably depicted than the tiger— but battles of strength aren't about
culture, or are they?
2 Relations With Humans
Neither lions nor tigers are domesticated animals, and that ought to give you a view of how they relate
with human beings. When human beings live in settlements near a jungle where a tiger lives, they often
exist in fear. This is because tigers have killed more human beings through direct contact that any other
wild mammal. In fact, in the 1930s it was reported that a lone tiger in India killed up to 430 people.
So yes, the tiger is more of a danger to human beings than the lion. And unlike the lion, tigers rarely
enter human habitat to kill prey. The majority of the attacks that tigers carry out are done within the
tigers' territory. So don't be scared— a tiger won't enter your room and drag you off.
However, a lion might just do that. In fact, studies have proven that man-eating lions do not eat human
beings as a last resort. It even appears that human beings are a supplement to other meals for them. So
basically, human beings are dessert to lions. Welp!
3 Physical Descriptions
Now, let's get down to the meat of the matter. Or the size, rather. But first, which animal do you think is
larger? The lion or the tiger?
If your answer is the lion, well, you would be wrong. The average lion weighs about 400 pounds, while
the average tiger weighs about 480 pounds. It's not a great difference, but even minute differences in
weight can become extremely significant pretty quickly when it comes to fighting.
But that's not all. The tiger is also taller than the lion and can reach a shoulder height of 4 feet. The Lion
may only be able to reach 3 feet five inches.
So the answer is clear as day— the tiger is usually bigger than the lion. But how important is this fact?
The buffalo is usually bigger and taller than the average lion, but the lion preys on it quite easily. Are
weight and height that Important, or is there something else? Let's find out.
4 Habitats
Do you know where tigers and lions live? Jungles? Forests? Rivers?
Well, you'd be surprised. Tigers, for one, live in incredibly diverse environments. You can find them in
rain forests, savannas, grasslands, and even mangrove swamps. Sadly, tigers are in dangers of extinction.
In fact, they are currently classified as endangered species. Since the turn of the 20th century, about
93% of the tiger population has disappeared. This is because of human activity and expansion, and it
seems to be getting even worse.
What of lions? Where do lions live?
Unlike tigers, lions are not found in very diverse environments.
Tags:
Animal