Lion | Tiger Fighting Styles Comparison

[Lion Boss]

There are many videos available that showcase lion vs tiger fights. Most of these are from old movies. There are also some clips from the lion/tiger interactions in the EverLand animal park. The most important thing to remember is that all these clips are between captive animals and can not serve as a measuring grade for the wild counterparts. So let’s take a look at the two cats in regards to their overall behavior and their unique fighting styles.

LION


The lion is a grappler that specializes in a chase and tackle approach to fighting. Captive and wild lion videos confirm this style as a preferred method for the species. When lions fight they tend to try to knock the opponent on the ground and attack the neck and/or back. The key is always to ground their opponent. Lions generally do not try to box. They usually hit with one paw in a wide swing that is aimed to “clubber” the opponent. Such strikes are slow but carry a lot of weight behind them. The aim is not to daze, like a jab, but to force the opponent down through either the power of the impact or the encircling motion that would enable a solid hold. This seems to be their preferred method of fighting.

In terms of behavior the lion is very prone to violence. Some people use the word “aggression” and as such quickly start arguing who is more “aggressive”. It’s really not the right word. Both cats have aggression when it comes to fighting. The difference is the willingness. The lion is basically a bully. It will scavenge as much as it can and fights among pride members are very frequent at feeding time. It’s a very violent cat that lives in a very violent way. Males establish their territory through fights and drive females (and other animals) off their kills every chance they get. Male lions pick fights to establish dominance, and try to do so physically and visually. Most animal trainers agree that lions are very troublesome. It’s in their nature to exert their dominance as much as possible. However, most fights don’t usually end in kills. There are times that lions die from the severe wounds they got in a fight, but in the actual combat they don’t seem to go for the kill that often. It seems that their objective is to establish dominance, and they are VERY prone to doing so.

TIGER


The tiger is a striker, plain and simple. Documented fights show that the tigers don’t like to brawl and prefer to keep their distance. A very common approach is to stand on hind legs and box with their front paws. These jabs are very fast but lack full damage power that the tiger is capable of. When fights get closer, tigers tend to break away and retreat, putting some distance between them and the opponent. While this is testament to this cat’s amazing balance and agility, it also speaks volumes about the tiger’s willingness to fight. Being a solitary animal the tiger can’t afford injury. Therefore the fighting style is designed to avoid a situation where serious injury can occur. Tiger, in general, only fight over territory. Fights over food are not frequent and there even have been records of unrelated tigers sharking a kill. That is in complete contrast to the violent bully nature of the lions. Based on the jabbing punches and the hit-&-run preferences the tiger isn’t as willing to brawl it out and risk injury.

COMPARISON


FACE OFF The lion and the tiger have a very different life style in the wild and their fighting technique reflects that. The lion is a violent bully that goes out of his way to establish his dominance over others. The tiger is careful strategist that is very selective about who and when to fight. If the two met in the wild the tiger is more likely to retreat. The lions always looks very willing to fight and due to the puffy mane it looks much bigger from the front. With such an intimidating front the tiger is unlikely to risk a fight with an animal that can legitimately hurt him.

FIGHT If the fight does occur it will truly be a clash of styles. Existing footage confirms that lion is constantly on the attack, pushing the tiger back. When the tiger retreats, the lion gives chase and is always attempting a tackle. The tiger is a lighting fast boxer that jabs the lion with both paws, usually knocking it off balance. But because those jabs do not have the tiger’s full power behind them the lion quickly gets back up. All existing fight footage between the two confirms this. If the fight area is not enclosed, the tiger will run off rather early in the fight as it does not like to brawl.

KILL If the two cats are trapped and there is nowhere to run, the tiger may have the advantage. Lions fight to establish dominance, usually it’s all about the image. If cornered the tiger will treat the lion as prey and go for the kill. Since the lion doesn’t usually fight to kill it would be at a disadvantage. Many animal trainers have stated that when the tiger is forced to fight it is deadly.

CONCLUSION

A striker vs a brawler. A strategist vs a bully. In a given face off, in the wild, the tiger will back off from the lion. The lion is less likely to back away since it’s been known to go 1 against 4 of its own kind. No other animal is willing to do that. If the fight starts it’ll be the tiger’s speed and precision strikes against the lion’s violent brawling nature. In early stages the tiger is more likely to back away after seeing the lion’s drive. If the tiger did go all out it is more likely to secure a kill then the lion. The lion doesn’t usually fight to kill. Would strength and size be a factor? I don’t think so. Both animals are strong enough to kill prey over 500 kg in weight. That’s 1100 lbs! As such, both are MORE THAN strong enough to kill each other.

Regardless of merit and various debates over this clip, here you can see everything that I described above. Lion is going for the grapple and a takedown. Tiger using jabs to get the lion off balance. Tiger retreating and the lion giving chase. Tiger getting a rather solid grip on the lion prior to them being broken up. It’s clear that if the cage was not enclosing the two the tiger would run off from the fight. But when trapped and enclosed it is a deadly opponent. The lion, on the other hand, proves its sheer drive and unmatched willingness to fight.

[boldchamp]

hey, a lion fights to the death more often than would a tiger, and they are very adept at it, with a taller structure and large mane.

well, it is my opinion that the lion is the better of the two;

lions:

when lions fight, the consequences can be dyer. in a fight, lions, as do all cats, often starts such a battle with the use of his claws, as the teeth, his most powerful weapon, may get damaged in the early moments of a tussle. the clavicle of the lion, not very well developed, does not allow extensive side-to-side movements, so his most efficient means of attack is a straight forward and back motion of the paws, often aimed at the face.
however, lions opting to end such a tussle as quickly as possible, oftentimes strike out with both paws, claws extended, in an effort to grab the head of the opponent, pulling him closer, to use that most deadly of arsenals............his jaws. they attack the nearest target, which in this case would be the neck. the opponent, however, in a vulnerable position and unable to launch an effective attack, oftentimes turns to his back to deliver, in rapid fire fashion, swift, slashing kicks, both legs extended, in an effort to dislodge his adversary. such a tactic, quite damaging, is oftentimes effective in getting the aggressor to release his hold............before his underparts gets ripped to shreds. also, a lion may, in choosing to attack, misjudge the distance, and, instead of biting the neck, as intended, gets a mouthful of mane. so lions have learned, over time, to attack less well-protected areas, like the shoulder and spinal column, which may disable the opponent enough to stop the attack and prevent further risk, and..........in some cases, kill him.

lions fighting;

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cMk5d0RnT4

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cMk5d0RnT4

www.youtube.com/wa...VkPso&feature=related

tigers;

tigers, in contrast to lions, live in forested areas. the dense foliage means that both predators and prey animals alike, are more spread out and competition less extreme, given the lower number of tigers, as compared to lions, per square kilometer.
a tiger`s territory, quite large, means that competitors cannot always be watched, and intrusion by rival males may go unnoticed(schaller). competition for territorial rights, therefore, are often passive.
however, a tiger which has a territory of his own is often more confident than one without, due to his greater level of testosterone, found to be higher in animals which have territorial ownership. his level of red blood cells, as is hemoglobin, of higher levels, supplies the body with more oxygen...........so, that his energy, as well as his libido, or sexual energy, is of a higher degree, which means he is better able to protect his females, especially during mating season, when testosterone is particularly high. tigers, at mating season, when testosterone is particularly high and, as a consequence, energy, becomes more active, during which he spends the great majority of his time patrolling his territory and scent marking frequently.........and, of course, mating.
the muscle fibers of his body, more active now due to higher testosterone, increases in size, quite rapidly, due to his increased level of activity. this is nature`s way of ensuring the male is at his fittest during mating season, when rivals are more likely to intrude, made all the more harder to detect as a consequence of his large expanse of land.
a male tiger`s territory, of course, often encompasses that of many females, so they are his greatest resource, and fights over females are quite extreme. even so, tigers would want to be fit for his next hunt, so when fighting does occur, the males often neglect the use of their teeth, wrestling each other instead, each trying to pin the other in submission. the claws, in such cases, may be used in an attempt to scare the rival into retreat, but injuries may still occur, and death in such a tussle is rare.

tigers fighting;

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8Ybg8R5U_Y

www.youtube.com/wa...NggNE&feature=related

....it seems lions, if not better, makes more use of his opponents weaknesses, as compared to tigers who rarely use their teeth to inflict injury, though such does occur. a lion would most often win in a fight with a tiger, though the latter`s greater agility may play a role, and a lion would only be successful in such a battle about 55% of the time, which is basically a coin toss. according to beatty, in a fair fight, a lion would win every time. however, Perhaps the final comment should come from animal trainer Louis Roth, who once said he had "seen enough fights to conclude that none of the theories is accurate; sometimes a lion would win, sometimes a tiger".

[americanlioness09]

I don't agree on somethings here.

For one about the kill part, if neither lion shows submission then they will kill. Lions don't always kill one another but if they have to they will and have done so.

There are times when a tiger would have no other choice but to fight and still lose, same goes for the lion.

It all depends on a lot of little things, making mistakes (Example : tiger biting lions mane and gaging on it and letting go and shaking his head long enough for the lion to get up and attack or kill the tiger, and or the lion missing the tiger with a jump and the tiger grabing the lion on the spine) but if the tiger is forced to fight, it doesn't mean it will win. A tiger won't be treating the lion as a prey item, he knows that if its attacking him and fighting him, its a rival or an enemy.

[Lion Boss]

I'm gonna stand by what I wrote on this matter. If it comes to fighting to the death I would put my money on the tiger. A wild tiger may not be as prone to fighting as a wild lion, but it is far more experienced in actually killing things. I don't think ANYONE can argue that a male tiger hunts more frequently and more successfully than a male lion. Again, I'm not saying male lions don't hunt, so don't get that twisted around. But the tiger does so more frequently and would be considered as more successful by just about any expert.

So, if they really went all out and the tiger didn't back down... I just see it being able to get a kill faster. The tiger is more agile than the lion and speed will count when it comes to making a kill. The Big Cage fight was a darn good example. The lion was chasing the tiger around. If there was no cage the tiger would've fled. But, eventually, when they really tore into each other, the tiger got a hell of a grip on the lion. That water at the end really did save the lion. The grip was good and the lion was trapped.

I stand by what I wrote.

[americanlioness09]

Lion Boss, the big cage was three different fights, the first fight the tiger gave up and the lion stopped the attack. The second fight between bobby and caesar, bobby the tiger was killed. The third fight was not supposed to happen, it was said that they bumped into one another and the tiger grabbed the lion from behind, I'll try to find the picture that stated this. But was put in the movie anyways.

The tiger had the lions mane at the end, the hose did not save the lions life. If anyone was hurt it was the tiger, for the lion had the tigers arm in his mouth.

On my video, at the end you can see a outline of the tigers mouth in the mane, thats all the tiger had. The lion became weak when the high power hose shot him in the rib cage.







See? If the hose was not used, all what would have happend would be the tiger has a hold of the lions mane, the lion has ahold of the tigers arm and they sit there till one of them gets up and starts fighting, kinda like earlier in the fight.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFoCJdTAVqE

Like I mentioned there are times where the tiger is in kill mode and still loses. Same goes for the lion. I dont see the tiger killing the lion faster, the lions mane deflects a lot of what the tiger tries to do, that leaves an opening for the lion to take action.

There is no proof that if the tiger has to fight it will win.

[Lion Boss]

Of course there is no proof! If there was we would not have a discussion, now would we? But, my point in all this is that a wild tiger is a better hunter than a wild lion. The tiger is also more agile and tends to be faster. As such, I would put my money on the tiger in the case of actually making a kill.

[boldchamp]

hunting has little to do with ability in a fight....any expert will tell you this. a lion would most certainly win, and here is some excerpts from clyde beatty`s book "the big cage"

“In a fight between a full-grown lion and a full-grown tiger, i`d be inclined to bet on the lion, largely because he has certain phsical advantages. His mane, for instance, protects his throat; the tiger has no such protection. The average lion, also, is a little bigger and heavier than the average tiger. My statement might suggest that i am depreciating the striped cat`s speed and terrific ferocity, but it is by no means my intention to do so. I wouldn`t do much frenzied betting on a fight between a lion and tiger of the same age and weight : that would be foolish.” page 255

“Sulton was in a scrappy mood-perhaps disliking the role of movie actor-and one by one took on and whipped every tiger in my act. It was an amazing performance, but, i admit, not a typical one. Although i have given my opinion, the question of lion-tiger superiority is pretty much of a toss-up.” page 258-259

“i had almost reached the safety-cage when it occurred to ethel(lioness) to let up on the tiger she was fighting(she was dealing this striped enemy, a heavier animal, as much punishment as she was receiving)”

“in 1931, when sultan was a three-year old-and a big powerful one…in fact, what flashed through my mind was that he was the most formidable beast to enter my act since the day, five years before, when i added nero to the act and he promptly licked the stuffing out of bredo, the big lion that was then arena boss, and started the reign of nero i.”

"one of my favorite tigers, princess, is dying in consequence of a brief encounter with the maned enemy, and she is only one of a half dozen striped cats i have lost the same way since i started my present act"

also, there are many more records of a lion defeating a tiger in battle. lions will most certainly battle to the death, and do so much more frequently than tigers. a lion would most certainly win.

[schamah123]

BIG CAGE !

de.youtube.com/watch?v=xhqO7iZpWc4&feature=channel_page

de.youtube.com/watch?v=dAO5IE9x0R8&feature=channel_page


if they didnt spray water on them the Lion would have killed the Tiger.

Just watch these videos , and you wil see that the Lion had the Tiger under its controle.

[diane]

Jan 1, 2009 19:00:12 GMT -5 schamah123 said:

BIG CAGE !

de.youtube.com/watch?v=xhqO7iZpWc4&feature=channel_page

de.youtube.com/watch?v=dAO5IE9x0R8&feature=channel_page


if they didnt spray water on them the Lion would have killed the Tiger.

Just watch these videos , and you wil see that the Lion had the Tiger under its controle.

Yours is a EDITED version.
The FULL version shows the Tiger holding down the Lion at the end of that fight.
Here is the FULL VERSION of the BIG CAGE fight.
de.youtube.com/watch?v=YmYYpGzmop0

[schamah123]

lol , its definetly not a edited version , watch both parts and you will see that the Lion was about to break the tigers arm , while the tiger had the hold on the lions mane.

[schamah123]

By the way , all three tigers were beaten and one was killed.
here is the proof.

de.youtube.com/watch?v=qPoGzy1pqME&feature=channel_page

[diane]

Jan 3, 2009 11:05:46 GMT -5 schamah123 said:

lol , its definetly not a edited version , watch both parts and you will see that the Lion was about to break the tigers arm , while the tiger had the hold on the lions mane.

Your links only show parts of the film, how can you say its not edited lol.
At the end of the full version,there is no paw in lions mouth at the VERY END.
At the end, the water hose was directed at tigers head forcing the tiger to release his grip on lion.
There is no prove the tiger had hold of only mane, but i do not think its only mane because i have seen how lions react when other lions have hold of their mane, they still move about a lot, in the film the lion is not moving much at the end, thats why i think the tiger had hold of more than just mane.
I only interested in last few seconds of film that shows the lion doing nothing and the tiger with a good grip until the hose on the tigers head forces him to let the lion go.
I not interested in what anyone writes about the fight, i only interested in what we see in the film, especially the last moments.
This is the very end of the fight from FULL version, and thats all im interested in.
Thats the last i write on this topic.

[schamah123]

Lol , look at the pictues from americanlioness09.

You will se that the Tiger only had a large chunk of the lions mane in its mouth !

[diane]

Jan 4, 2009 9:08:41 GMT -5 schamah123 said:

Lol , look at the pictues from americanlioness09.

You will se that the Tiger only had a large chunk of the lions mane in its mouth !

Makes no difference if it was mane or not, the fact still remains, the tiger had the lion under control at the end until the water hose against the tigers head made him let the lion go.

Your missing the point why i replied to your first post.
Your first post tried to say the lion had the tiger under control, and you used a EDITED version to try and prove it.
But the FULL version clearly shows in the END it was the tiger that had the lion under control.
Watch the full version, you will see it clearly shows your first post was wrong, here it is again.

de.youtube.com/watch?v=YmYYpGzmop0

[Lion Boss]

The tiger didn't have the lion under control. And I'll be happy to explain to you why.

1. The tiger was not on top of the lion.

2. The tiger only had mane hair in his mouth because if it was a throat bite the lion would be dead, instantly. It's been proven that it takes no time at all for a lion or a tiger to achieve a kill with a locked on throat bite.

So the tiger had some hair in his mouth that prevented the lion from getting up. But from that position the tiger couldn't do much else either. It was a stalemate. Think of boxing. One boxer is getting pummeled so he hugs his opponent. It's not really "gaining control" but more like pausing the fight to catch your breath.

I'm sorry, but your are wrong, Diane.