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
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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,…
Risposta scontata , mi dispiace per i fans del leone ma la superiorità della tigre è schiacciante, contrariamente a quanto può pensare una buona parte di persone che hanno ancora Disneyana o clydebettiana immagine del leone, con il suo falso appellativo di re della foresta,o re degli animali, è la tigre che ha sempre dominato il leone ,e no viceversa,sin dai tempi dei romani nel Colosseo, a tutti i vari serragli del 700 o 800 hanno quasi sempre vinto le tigri,e mi è giunta alle mani la statistica ufficiale dei combattimenti tra queste 2 belve : tigre siberiana vince con il leone l’81% dei combattimenti, tigre del bengala vince con il leone il 75% dei combattimenti,tigre indocinese vince il65% dei combattimenti,altre tigri più piccole vincono il 50-60% dei combattimenti.tutte le sottospecie di tigri,anche quelle più piccole , vincono il più delle volte con il Leone, perché la tigre è il felino superiore, e il predatore Alfa, il top predatore,e tutto nella tigre è superiore, di conseguenza è anche un migliore combattente , dovete sapere che la tigre può combattere stando in piedi sulle zampe posteriori,e boxare con tutte e due le zampe anteriori simultaneamente, il leone non può,e se la tigre è in difficoltà, si getta in terra per proteggersi la schiena, e afferra saldamente il Leone con i suoi artigli retrattili, cosa che il leone non ha, e azzanna il leone alla gola ,leone addio!!la tigre dimostra così di essere più intelligente del leone, ha circa il 16% in più di massa cerebrale, anche qui altra prova della superiorità della tigre!! La tigre ,anche se prendiamo una tigre ed un leone con lo stesso peso , ha il morso più potente, bite force 127,contro i 112 del leone,ancora qui la tigre dimostra superiorità,questo perché la testa della tigre è più tondeggiante, ancora, la tigre ha il 72.6% del corpo composto da muscoli, il leone solo 58.2%, la tigre ha maggior circonferenza toracica, spalle più sviluppate, zampe più grandi e potenti, zampe posteriori più alte, canini più lunghi,inoltre la maggior muscolatura della tigre ,porta sostanzialmente la tigre ad essere più forte,resistente e veloce.Non dimentichiamoci che la tigre da sola,uccide le stesse prede in cui il leone caccia in gruppi di 5-25 leoni, inoltre una tigre da sola può uccidere un rinoceronte, un coccodrillo, un bisonte, cosa che il leone da solo non può! In tutta la storia 2 tigri hanno ucciso anche un elefante asiatico maschio adulto , e un elefantessa , altra prova schiacciante della superiorità della tigre!! La tigre vinceva quasi sempre anche ai tempi dei romani, e il poeta marziale scrisse questo, e l’imperatore tito spesso faceva combattere 4 tigri e 5 leoni per dare al leone più chances , ma tutte le volte le 4 tigri uccidevano i 5 leoni , non dimentichiamoci che le tigri del bengala e siberiane oltre ad essere più muscolose e forti, pesano mediamente 50 kg più del leone. Non ho voluto approfondire il tema dei falsi film camuffati, come l”impostore clyde beatty che favoriva il leone nelle sue esibizioni, come il poco attendibile d.salmoni, ci sarebbe da scrivere un libro su questo comunque,la tigre è il vero re degli animali, ed è al 4 posto come più forte animale sulla terra!!! Saluti
Thanks Ross. Overall opinion is more or less split down the middle. Let’s say it is evens. Personally I favour the tiger to win 😉
About young lions and tigers. As social animals the lion’s growth rate is slower than tigers. Lions gets maturity later than tigers.
LIONS ARE TOP PREDATORS AND FIGHTERS
The mighty lion the “KING OF THE BEASTS” according to the National Geographic 2012, is on the list of the ten toughest animal on earth. The tigers are not on the list. The National Geographic also said that no animal on earth are safe from lions. Lions are design to hunt the largest preys on land. That’s make them the world’s very top predator. The male and female lion make a formidable duo. The very athletic lioness is the second fastest big cat behind the cheetah and her top speed is on the world’s top 10. Again the tiger is not on the list. In a hunt, the lioness will usually show more courage and perseverance than tigers. Few people know that lions have a greater hunting success rate than tigers.
Pound for pound there are no land mammalian more muscular than the male lion. Surprisingly males are good hunters too, they are large preys specialists. But what cut thousands of years ago, the imagination of early civilizations is the extraordinary bravery and fighting skills of the male lion.
They are no invincible predators, but in a fair fight, it is almost overwhelming for a tiger to defeat an healthy born in the wild male lion of equal age and size. All feline have poor stamina. But lions have more stamina and will power than tigers. The lion is a all around more formidable animal. WHAT IS STRONGER THAN A MALE LION, IS ANOTHER MALE LION. Perhaps it is better to compare tigers with the lioness. The male lion is unique, he belongs to a higher league.
LION VS. TIGER HISTORICAL BATTLES.
1-Black and white film tiger lion fight. Tiger loose retreats lion running after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MRLYzRvYkE
2-Black and white film lion wins, run after tiger, tiger laid down injured or died.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqEiDjsrHUE
3-Jungle Jim black and white movie lion winner run after tiger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSWIzhS_Rw
4- Black and white film Sub adult male lion with little mane defeat tiger, again lion run after tiger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSWIzhS_Rw
5- 1929 black and white film Gir forest old lion kill tiger.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJhd4F6YO90
6- THE 1933 BIG CAGE FILM THE WHOLE STORY.
First found the whole scene clean images versions. In the Big Cage scenes in few occasions the tiger tried to escaped but the lion ran often him. In nature when a tiger face serious opposition he retreats. The tiger (s) did the same. He knew he could not defeat and sense his life was in danger. A frame by frame examination on versions that have clear images, shows in a few occasions, the tiger retained momentarily the lion on the ground by his mane. Details of this scene was lather explained in the newspapers (The Milwaukee journal July 18, 1962 ). The black mane lion face not one but three tigers in a row. The lion killed so fasts the first and second tigers that they did not have enough footage. A third tiger was send and the male lion still had enough of energy in him. If I remember correctly, the last tiger tried to escape too. At the end the keepers managed to stop the fight when the lion was held down by his mane again. Now all 4 performing male big cats used by Beatty were born in the wild and were in top shape.
THE TIGER EXPERT KAILASH SANKHALA.
One of the greatest tiger expert was Kailash Sankhala (1925-1994) known as “The Tiger Man of India”. The tiger was his favourite animal. From his 1970’s book, he had studied tigers for many years and when to the Gir forest too. There are only 10 to 12 regions in the whole India that can suits the lions needs. Once, these few dispersed places were eventually all occupied by lions. To do so lions had to pass through the tiger’s moist regions first. Kailash Sankhala wrote that the lions took the territories away from the tigers. Before lions were exterminated by men, tigers totally disappeared from these regions. On page 119 Kailash Sankhala had the honesty to state in a fair fight on a one on one combat a tiger is no match for a lion he added that a tiger will avoid a lion. Sankhala saw lion/tiger combats too and the male lion was victorious. This world renown tiger expect was convinced that lions are the superior fighters.
The title lion “king of the jungle” come from India a tiger land. The Lion “king of the beasts” comes from “Mesopotamia” a tiger land too.
Thanks for your thoughts on this debate. I agree with you by the way.
tiger wins because its the superior predator male lions are the biggest scavengers of the savanna tigers are the ultimate carnavor and both bengal and amur tigers are bigger. tiger has size strength agility weaponry intelligence bigger brain larger learning capacity all a lion has is a mane which will hinder but not stop the attack of a bigger stronger member of the cat family a lone lion is a dead lion.
Thanks for another good comment. Just so you know, your comment was held for moderation because the computer program detects links in the comment and that is a sign that it is spam, which it is not but that is how the program works. Any comment you make that has no links in it will be published immediately.