I have added a voting poll. You’ll see that the majority of people believe that tigers win!
You can also make comments freely at the base of the page if you wish. These are a true reflection on voting. Some people double voted etc but these have been removed so what is left is accurate…
| In a fight between a lion and tiger, on average the tiger is more likely to win..here is my argument……… |
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I thought I would enter the discussion on this subject. It is of interest to people as it pitches two dominant predators against each other. It is a bit like one of those cult moves, Gonzilla vs King Kong. There are videos on this subject. They are, understandably, of tigers fighting lions in captivity. They are just big cats imprisoned in relatively small spaces, which leads to scuffles, but they are not fights to the death or really serious fights. Certainly there are no winners.
It is unnatural for a lion to fight a tiger as it would not happen in the wild. The lion occupies Africa (its range is being eroded by people). It is also present in India in the Gir Forest on the west coast in small numbers.
The tiger lives in Asia, meaning India going west to Indonesia and China. Except for the Gir Forest lions, these dominant predators live thousands of miles apart. They also live in different habitats. The lion lives in woodlands, shrub, dry forest and even desert while the tiger lives in a wide range of habitats from the rainforests (e.g. Sumatran tiger) to the birch woodlands of Siberia (Siberian tiger). The lion lives in drier habitats.
If they did live in the same place they would no doubt find ways to avoid each other or at least minimize conflict. Conflict amongst equal or near equal predators is not wise as it compromises survival. The cheetah, for example, usually gives up its kill to say hyena because of the possibility of becoming injured even slightly which would severely reduce its capacity to run. And fast running is how the cheetah survives. And the humble domestic cat if he or she is an outdoor cat will try and avoid territorial disputes by marking its range (a from of communication) with scrapes and sprays.
However, at a theoretical and fun level, the only real way to figure out who would win a lion vs tiger fight (which is what people want to know, I think) is to try and work it out based on their various skills and strengths.
| Lion vs Tiger..Update: On occasions in the past lions have been forced to fight tigers. These were staged. On a more informal and far less serious nature, at the Bronx Zoo in the 1950s a lion cub called Zambezi and a young tiger named Range who were raised together faught occasionally and Range always won due to being a smarter and better fighter. In the days of the European menageries of the rich and kings (middle ages and beyond), lions were sometimes made to fight tigers. We are told that, “apparently the tigers always won….” (Sunquist – Wild Cats Of The World -page 287 – the premier book on the wildcats) Update 16th Sept 2010: There have been three very good submissions by visitors on the Lion vs Tiger debate. Here they are: Lion vs tiger – lion wins – this is a monster page full of detail. Have a drink before you tackle this one. Tiger would win 80% of fights with lions The experts say the tiger wins the lion versus tiger fight Some comments from visitors: “I thought the lion would win but this changed my mind but I still wished the lion won. Lions all the way!!” “As you said the tiger hunts alone…while the lion hunts in groups and this is the how it happens in nature. So there is prey like the adult elephant that the tiger can’t bring down but I saw a pack of lions kill an adult elephant. So when you say that “tigers kill any animal” it is wrong but it is correct to say that lions kill any animal. Also if they met in nature most probably the tiger would be killed because the lion always lives in a pride .. and most of time in each pride is between 1-2 male lions and sometimes 4. Also like as you said most of the time there will be no fight .. because one of them will run because of the fear of injury. And the male lion has an advantage in his shape. In the animal world external appearance is important .. the male lion has a scary appearance because of the mane. If a fight happened, the most important factor is the size and the tiger wins on this point. But as I said early, in nature tiger would most probably encounter a group of lions and he would never win because of that.” Ahmed (from Libya) Yousef from Kuwait makes a strong case for the lion: Lion Wins nearly all the Lion vs Tiger Fights “My favorite family of animals has always been the cat family from a young age. In the cat family, I have always liked the tiger better than the lion. I have done a report concerning this problem before, and nearly all the websites I’ve visited supported the tiger, that is with the exception of favourites. TIGERS!!!” Cheng Ming (from China) “I do have a comment. While, it can be generally considered that the Tiger has more qualities to deem it the winner. I think, that since both the Tiger and the Lion are closely matched up it may depend on the animal itself. For instance, if a young un-experienced tiger is placed against a naturally more agressive lion. The chances are the lion would prevail. It may come down to the animal itself and it’s behavioral characteristics coupled with experience. A lion in a zoo may not fair so well with a wild aggressive tiger. Just a thought!” Ali (California, USA) “Always lion wins …..u have seen that chinese fabricated videos lion has more experience than tiger so lion only wins i haved stuied the behaviour of lion and i studied the behaviour of tiger so i believe lion wins…” “Tigers can kill any animal…This is to correct an earlier statement that tigers cannot kill elephants when in fact they have been known to bring down young elephants on their own whereas it takes the whole pride of lions to take down an adult elephant. To me that further proves that the tiger would win.” Lynnal (Zimbabwe)
I think the lion would have won. Damian (Poland) |
Initially, I thought that the outcome would be a draw – but I changed my mind. In reality, however, either one would back off or the loser would have been young and inexperienced or perhaps ill. That said a comparison of factors that make each a great predator might be useful in deciding the outcome of a lion vs tiger contest.
Here is a table comparing the lion and tiger in respect of factors (I have called them “fight factors”) that might help us decide who would win in a lion vs tiger fight. This is summarized. The information comes from Wild Cats Of The World, the premier book on wild cats. Also please remember that the Sumatran tiger is the smallest tiger and the Siberian the biggest. There is more detail below the table:
| Fight Factor | Lion | Tiger | Winner – lion vs tiger |
| Size – weight – see Wild Cat Species by Size for a full list of wild cat sizes | Max weight: 216 Kg1 | Max weight: 320 Kg1 | Tiger |
| Fighting ability | “..eat a variety of prey….” | “Tigers kill any animal…” | Tiger |
| Climbing ability | “..not particularly adept climbers…” | “Tigers rarely climb trees…but can and will” | Tiger |
| Swimming ability | “quite capable swimmers…” | “Tigers swim well….” | Tiger |
| Jumping ability | “..jump fences 2-3 metres high..” | “Jumping ability well developed..” | Draw |
| Bite strength | bite force quotient (BFQ) = 112 | bite force quotient (BFQ)= 127 | Tiger |
| What the experts say | tigers are favoured over a lion – 75% of experts favor the tiger – source: National Geographic | Tiger |
Video – lion vs tiger
I don’t really believe in any video of a lion versus tiger fight. They are going to be artificial as these cats never normally meet each other in the wild.
Climbing ability
Climbing ability indicates athleticism and cats are generally skilled climbers. Forest dwelling cats are better climbers than ground living cats. The tiger is more of a forest dwelling cat I think it fair to say, although habitats for both are wide. (see the master climbers: Margay and Clouded leopard).
The tiger has demonstrated some impressive climbing skills that are recalled in Wild Cats Of The World by the Sunquists:
- A tiger raced up a tree pulling down a person who was doing research. He was 4.6 metres of the ground (15 feet).
- Adult tiger climbs smooth barked tree to 10 metres (32 feet).
Lions when young can be “quite good climbers”.
Jumping ability
The tiger can jump (at a maximum it seems) from 8 to 10 metres (10 metres = 32 feet). More typically they jump around 4-5 metres. Lions have been observed to jump fences 2-3 metres high.
Fighting ability – Tiger vs Dogs
Tigers are generally the dominant predator (the authors, the Sunquists, of Wild Cats Of The World say). So they are not always on top. And a pack of wild dogs although only weighing 20 kg each can overcome a tiger and kill it. Here are two dramatic and sad descriptions of such events.
A pack of 22 Asiatic wild dogs or dholes drove a tiger into a dried stream. The tiger protected his back with a tree. The dogs attacked and were repelled by the tiger. Five dogs were killed or badly injured and the tiger was badly hurt in this first attack. The tiger’s ears were torn, its body cut and an eye was closed. The dogs harassed the tiger for one hour and attacked again. The tiger repelled the attack but was hurt more. The third attack killed the tiger. Twelve dogs were killed and many others badly wounded.
In another wild dog attack on a tiger in southern India the following happened. The pack of dogs attacked the tigress from different angles and the tigress gradually became tired. The tigress in desperation at hearing more dogs arriving charged at two of the dogs and killed one with a swipe of its paw. The dog’s spine cracked like a whip. The tigress escaped but was eventually torn to bits about five miles away by the full pack of wild dogs.
Both are excellent examples of the hugely courageous and fierce fighting ability of the tiger. The tiger has been described as, “more of a wrestler than a runner..”. And it is built to pull down prey several times its own size.
Now to the lion, which is equally as courageous and as dynamic a fighter. Perhaps a useful comparison would be of the size of prey these two big cats hunt and pull down. This may help in assessing a lion vs tiger fight but it is a rather vague guide. Note: the prey that is available is a factor in this assessment.
| Lion vs Tiger | Maximum weights of prey in Kilograms | Winner |
| Lion | Giraffes (716) Hippos (500) Buffalo (500) Cape Buffalo (600 – 900) | |
| Tiger | Average weight of tiger kills (Nagarahole National Park) was 401 kgs including several at 1000 kilograms (estimated). Moose killed by tigers weigh between 500 – 820 kgs | Tiger – just |
| A visitor made this point:“I would like to mention that lions usually hunt in groups and single lions would have a lot of trouble with any of the animals listed in the prey (especially hippos). Alone, they can only take down smaller prey such as wildebeest (max ~300 kg) and, if they can catch them, antelope and gazelles.”Comment: This supports the tiger in a lion vs tiger fight, I would have thought. | ||
Note: the tiger probably just wins this round! But this is not a very scientific assessment. And it is very close. Also lions hunt in groups and alone, which complicates this comparison. Also lions and tigers get killed by large prey. For example, the water buffalo and gaur can and do kill attacking tigers.
Both lion and tiger hunt and kill very large animals but also eat small animals. Lions regularly catch antelope fawns.
Bite Strength
This is a comparison of bite strengths for various animals. The bite strength or force listed here takes into account the size of the animal so it is a direct and fair comparison (i.e. a compensation for animal size is built in). In a lion vs tiger test of bite force, the tiger wins – just.
| Animal | BFQ |
| Tasmanian devil | 181 |
| African hunting dog | 142 |
| clouded leopard | 137 |
| grey wolf | 136 |
| tiger | 127 |
| cheetah | 119 |
| lion | 112 |
| cougar | 108 |
| bobcat – see hybrids | 100 |
| brown bear | 78 |
| cat | 58 |
Swimming ability
The lion has been observed swimming across the Okavango river and other major rivers.
Okavango river Africa – photo by rishon-lezion
The tiger swims well and probably is more water orientated than the lion living as it does in wetter climates. Tigers have been observed swimming to islands in the Sunda Straights (Wild Cats Of The World). The Sunda straight has tidal currents of more than 4 kilometres per hour. It is between Sumatra and Java.
Of the more major islands in this straight, Pulau Legundi is about 2.2 miles from the mainland and another island, Pulau Sebuku is about 5 miles from the mainland. However there are smaller islands that are much nearer at an estimated 300 yards to just under a mile from the mainland. This, though, is very impressive swimming for a cat! This is the sea not a river. See map below:
Sunda straight – Lion vs Tiger – Wikipedia commons – author ChrisO
Tiger out swims the lion
Sunda Straight – photo by soulsurfer
In a lion vs tiger contest the tiger out swims the lion.
Conclusion: Tiger wins a lion vs tiger fighting contest.
Note: 1. Wild Cats of the World by Mel and Fiona Sunquist
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page…
Lion Versus Tiger Bite Force
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This is kinda funny…
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Jesus the Lion of Judah
In a hypothetical lion versus tiger fight , I do not believe the Tiger would win… Your expert picks are not accurate. During Tiger week on Animal …
Tigers would win 80% of fights with lions
This article is good, no doubt about it, but I would like to say that taking into consideration the average weights of lion and the tiger would be better …
Lion vs Tiger: Your facts don’t match the experts
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I say a lion beats a tiger in a fight
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A Lion Wins in Lion Versus Tiger Fight
Hello to all lion vs tiger fans, here are some reasons that attest that a male lion is a winner in 9 of 10 fights (comparing African lion to any type of …
Lion Wins nearly all the Lion vs Tiger Fights
I don’t agree at all with you…it seems that you show so much wrong information. And you believe the Chinese who fabricated so many video tapes to prove …
Lions could easily defeat a Tiger in a fight to the death
There’s no doubt that Lions could easily defeat a Tiger in a fight to the death – if both opponents were of equal stability at beginning of fight. It …
Your Lion Versus Tiger Assessment is Rubbish
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All things being equal a lion will win all lion vs tiger fights
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The tiger will win every time it faces a lion
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Lions Wins No Question in Lion vs Tiger
A friend of mine is a zoo keeper and i personaly study both animals . The male fully grown fully maned african lion has no equal.He is the best …
Lion wins with Tiger of same size
I agree the Tiger is (Siberian) probably one of the top 3 predators on the planet. A big male Siberian will way over 600 pounds and I think because of …
The experts say the tiger wins a tiger vs lion fight
Hey there people, we can debate all day long, but the truth hurts.. for lion fans. I have emailed various experts, wildlife research institutes, zoos,…
Lion vs Tiger article is well researched
I just got done watching the Animal Planet show Animal Face-off: Lion Vs. Tiger, and the program was so off the wall, they did not take into account things …
Historically Lions Nearly Always Win Fights with Tigers
Historically lions nearly always win fights with tigers and other large species. Historical documents prove this time and time again. Although tigers …
Tiger versus Lion
Ok, well if there were to be a fight between a full grown male Siberian tiger, and a full grown male African lion, I would say the tiger would claim victory….
Tiger vs Lion fight – who is the winner?
Answer of scientist: the male Tiger vs male Lion – 90% chance the tiger is winner because the tiger is bigger and stronger than lion.The weight …
Lion vs Tiger – This is a Great Article
I know everyone that has posted here has written that the lion is the stronger and therefore the winner, but I have to tell you the truth. The tiger would …
Lion vs tiger – the most recent account happened in a Turkish Zoo!
Who’s the king of the jungle? Who would win the lion versus tiger fight? An old question about inter-species conflict has, unfortunately, been answered …
Lion – Person vs Person Conflict Not rated yet
People disagree about the lion vs tiger debate. This is classic.
Lion vs Tiger – Lion wins most times Not rated yet
In this debate I’m going to cover just basic’s on the lion, we don’t need to cover attribute’s of minor weight and power because they are basically anatomically …
Tiger all the way! Not rated yet
Tiger won almost every time when they fight against lions. Now, I’m gonna tell you the main trick. I have read in books that tigers have good jumping …
Lions are always at the top even when they lose Not rated yet
Most tiger fans make me laugh: they are ignorant. Mostly are Chinese and/or Asians whom they never saw a male African lion in a fight. The size of the …
Lion wins in a lion versus tiger fight Not rated yet
In my opinion the staged Korean and Chinese fights are just that, staged by either fighting young, ill and underfed lions. Having lived there this is not …
A male lion will always fight to protect the pride Not rated yet
I don’t agree with your argument that a tiger will win a lion versus tiger fight. You seem to miss some fundamental points. The female lions do all of …
The male lion would easily kill a tiger Not rated yet
A friend of mine is a lion trainer at Marine World in Vallejo, CA. where they have lots of tigers and lions. They work with each day. I asked him if …
Lion Would Win Most Conflicts With A Tiger Not rated yet
I like the debate, the truth is tigers would likely avoid conflict, while lions would start one. Tigers are heavier & stronger but not larger and faster,…
O leão tem a maior envergadura entre os felino ele é mais auto do que os tigres o siberiano é o mais robusto e pesado entre os felino o begala é o mais comprido e agiu entre os felinos. Os tigre macho são melhores caçadores que os leões macho,tem mais flexibilidade pula mais alto do que um leão e tem mais explosão fisíca e sempre está caçando que da o tigre experiência como caçador. O leão foram feitos para brigar como gladiadores a forma de vida deles a evolução do leão faz dele um lutador e não um caçador, sua juba protege o peito e o pescoço tem um braço musculoso e cumprido e desenvoltura para gol-piar também da ao leão a patada mais forte entre os felinos,o leão é puro musculo ele tem menas reserva de gordura no corpo do que o tigre siberiano e begala um coração grande com relação ao corpo, consegue bombiar mais oxigênio para os musculos e o leão vive no continente mais que do mundo a Africa que também ajuda o leão ter mais resistência fisíca. Sua forma de vida e muito faz o leão passar grande parte da sua vida em confronto com outros leões e outros predares os leões são responsável por 50% das mortes entre as hienas segundo predador vido logo apos o leão,a hiena tem a mordida mais poderosa entre os predadores terrestre, 50% das mortes do guepardo 40% dos leopardos 50% mabecos cachorros selvagem e os leões tem a forma de vida mais violenta do reino animal. No Coliseu os leões da barbaria lutaram com todos tipos de predadores tigres ursos e venceu pois coliseu era localizada na antiga roma que hoje é a Italia, na Italia estão espalhada varias estatuas de leão em suas praças e simbolo de força e coragem em suas bandeiras. Os reis escupiam a cara de um leão em seus tronos na armaduras de seus soldado e gladiadores no cabo das espada nos escudos etc. Muitos fã de tigre fala do tamanho do tigre para o leão a diferença dos dois e pouca e alguns leões ficam maires do que tigres exemplo `Simba´o maior felino já registrado é um leão chamado Simba, mas tamanho não é documento exemplo pit bull e bull terry que são cachorro que consegue vencer cachorro bem maiores. Eu ví um video que um caçador atirou com um rifle contra um leão e acertou o tiro e o leão caiu, quando levantou começou a correr de encontro aos caçadores para atacalos e quase conseguiu matar um dos caçadores eu nunca ví um animal mais corajoso de que um leão ele espanta e enfrenta mais de quize hienas. Tem um video chamado tiger the king of coward que significa tigre o rei dos covardes mostra dois cachorro porte medio colocando um tigre siberiano para correr e dois dogue alemão colocando um tigre de begala para correr e a maioria dos video que vejo o tigre está apanhando do leão e correndo, não que desfazer do tigre acho ele uma perfeita maquina de matar sem falar de sua beleza e capacidade de sobrevivência e sua força, mas o leão e chamado pelos povos antigos e até nos dias de hoje como Criatura da guerra o rei dos animais.
Google translation:
The lion has the largest wingspan between feline he is more self than the Siberian tiger is the most robust and heavy between feline Begala is the longest and acted among felines. The male tiger hunters are better than male lions have more flexibility jumps higher than a lion and has more physical explosion and that is always hunting the tiger experience as a hunter. The lion were made to fight as gladiators in the form of their lives developments lion makes him a fighter and not a hunter, his mane protects the chest and the neck has a muscular arm and fulfilled and resourcefulness Goal-py also of the lion the strongest kick between the felines, the lion is pure muscle he has menas fat reserves in the body than the Siberian tiger and Begala a big heart with respect to the body, can bombiar more oxygen to the muscles and the lion lives in the continent more the world that Africa which also helps the lion have more stamina. Their way of life, and the lion is spending much of his life in confrontation with other lions and other predares lions are responsible for 50% of deaths between the second hyenas predator vido shortly after the lion, the hyena has the strongest bite between terrestrial predators, 50% of the deaths of the cheetah 40% 50% leopards wild dog wild dogs and lions have the most violent form of life in the animal kingdom. Lions at the Coliseum barbarism fought with all types of bears and tigers predators won because it was located in the ancient coliseum rome what is now Italy, in Italy are scattered several statues of lion in its squares and symbol of strength and courage in their flags. Kings escupiam the face of a lion on their thrones in the armor of their soldiers and gladiators in cable Swords shells etc.. Many fan of Tiger tells the size of the tiger to the lion and the difference of the two little lions and some mayors are example of what Tigers’ largest ever recorded Simba’o cat is a lion named Simba, but size does not matter example and pit bull terry bull dog that can win are much larger dog. I saw a video that a hunter shot with a rifle against a lion and hit the shot and the lion fell, when started running up against hunters atacalos and almost managed to kill one of the hunters I’ve never seen a more bold animal that a lion frightens him and faces more than quize hyenas. Has a video called the king of tiger coward means that Tiger the king of cowards shows two medium sized dog putting a Siberian tiger to run and two German mastiff putting a tiger Begala to run and most of the video I see the tiger is picking up the lion and running, not to undo tiger think he’s perfect killing machine without talking about its beauty and survivability and strength, but the lion is called by ancient peoples and even today as Creature from the king of war animals.
O leão tem experiência em luta, tem mais resistência, tem a juba que protege o pescoço e o peito e tem a patada mais forte entre os felinos. O tigre é apavorado na briga ele corre e é submisso enquanto o leão frio e concentrado e mais agressivo, o tigre é mais forte que o leão mas tem menas resistência. O tigre é um caçador solitário que raramente entra em confronto com outro tigre e não tem competição com outros predadores, diferente do leão que vive em confrontos direto contra outros macho e outros predadores.
Google translate:
The lion has experience in fighting, have more endurance, has the mane which protects the neck and chest and has the strongest kick among felines. Tiger is terrified he runs the fray and is submissive while cold and concentrated and more aggressive lion, the tiger is stronger than a lion but has menas resistance. The tiger is a solitary hunter who rarely clashes with another tiger and has no competition with other predators, unlike the lion that lives in direct confrontations with other male and other predators.
Thanks Reza for your opinion. About half the people who visit think the lion wins and half think the tiger wins so it is a draw!
sorry your information is don real i worked 20 years with lions and tiger lion king of the king only lion can kills largest animal in the world .please go back study history fight between lions and tiger.in 70 years ago lions easy kills tiger.royal tiger.poular bear.crizzly bear.lions are ultimate warrior .brave.powerful.can better climbing better than tiger of tree.lions paw biger than tiger.lion power of the jaw 109 kg stronger than tiger.african buffalo most dangerous buffalo in the world lions kills african buffalo.african buffalo very stronger than qaur .water buffalo.oh my god I must write a book about big cat.thanks
Thanks Greek for your input.
Lion vs tiger. The lion will win because it build for fighting. Also the he has his mane that is his armor. The lion has stronger shoulders and chest. Tigers are slightly bigger.