Post by Lion Boss on Oct 30, 2008 14:34:55 GMT -5
Well, I've discussed the size of the two cats, not much difference there. I've discussed the fighting style of the two cats, both have some advantages and some disadvantages against each other. So now I would like to talk a little about the hunting methods. Many people seem to be under the impression that the hunting styles reflect the animals' overall strength level.
First of all, as I explained in earlier topics, strength is not a factor in regards to a lion vs tiger face off. Both cats are strong enough to kill animals double their size. As such, both are MORE THAN strong enough to kill each other. If one individual is slightly bigger/stronger it really won't make a difference in this situation. Now, onto hunting.
LION
Lions hunt in groups and the females usually do the majority of the work. It's not really because the male is lazy it's because he is a handicap in regards to stealth. On the open savanah the cover for sneaking is very minimal. The bulky build, tall stature, and puffy mane of a male lion will not allow it to get close enough to prey to launch an attack. Females, on the other hand, can sneak much better. They sneak up to the victim until they reach a distance of approximately 30 metres (98 ft) or less. Typically, several female lions work together and encircle the herd from different points. Once they have closed with a herd, they usually target the closest prey. The attack is short and powerful; they attempt to catch the victim with a fast rush and final leap. The prey is usually killed by strangulation, which can cause cerebral ischemia or asphyxia (which results in hypoxemic, or "general," hypoxia). The prey may also be killed by the lion enclosing the animal's mouth and nostrils in its jaws (which would also result in asphyxia). Smaller prey, though, may simply be killed by a swipe of a lion's paw.
The range of animals brought down is great. Mainly this will include ungulates weighing between 50 and 300 kg (110–660 lb) such as kudu, hartebeest, gemsbok, and eland. Extensive statistics collected over various studies show that lions normally feed on mammals in the range 190–550 kg (420–1210 lb). However, due to their cooperative efforts the lion holds the record for the largest prey animals of any terrestrial predator. Lions have been known to bring down full grown African Elephants (7,000 lbs) at the Savuti river. Full grown hippos (4,000 lbs ), and giraffe (3,000 lbs) have been observed as occasional prey targets. The extremely aggressive Cape Buffalo (500-900 kg or 1,100 - 2,000 lbs) is known as fairly common prey item. In the cases of these large animals in takes several lions to bring them down. However, in the case of the Cape Buffalo have been observed to be take on by single male lions as well. At least one documented record shows a single lioness forcefully drowning a cow buffalo in the swamp.
It is also common knowledge that lions scavange very frequently and fight with other predators for kills. They will also target the younger/smaller animals before going after adults that can seriously fight back. But this is true of any predator.
TIGER
Tigers generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock large prey off balance. Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 49-65 kilometres per hour (35-40 miles per hour), although they can only do so in short bursts, since they have relatively little stamina; consequently, tigers must be relatively close to their prey before they break their cover. Tigers have great leaping ability; horizontal leaps of up to 10 metres have been reported, although leaps of around half this amount are more typical. However, only one in twenty hunts ends in a successful kill.
Tigers hunt small-sized and large-sized animals, such as wild boar, barasingha, chital, nilgai, foxes, and they also feed on fish and other animals. They sometimes prey on smaller animals such as hares, monkeys, langurs or peathingys, and carrion is also readily taken. Some of the large game targeted by this cat are the Gaur (up to 1,000 kg or 2,200 lbs), the Indian Water Buffalo (2,000 lbs), and in the case of the Siberian tiger the Moose (850–1,580 lbs). There have also been documented incidents with tigers comming in conflict with the Indian Rhino and the Indian Elephant. But it is not known how successful those kills were and the age of the targeted speciments.
Tiger hunts are rarely observed and filmed due to the nature of the cat and the jungle terrain. Unlike with lions, there is no footage of tigers tackling large game. Fully grown animals are not a frequent target for the tiger. K. ullas Karanth and Melvin E. Sunquist reported in the "Journal of Animal Ecology" (1995) that tiger prefer prey over 176 kg. The average for the prey targeted prey animals is 91.5 kg. Tiger predation was biased towards adult male chital, sambar, wild pig, and young gaur.
COMPARISON
I never understood why people try to compare the two cats based on their targeted prey. Both predators will target the weak and the young as their first option. So, that's really the first thing to consider.
SIZE. Lions hunt and groups and therfore have been known to take down larger game more frequently than the lone tigers. Hunting in a group is really the only option for lions as the African terrain offers very little cover and the animals travel in massive herds that must be separated. Cooperation is a must. Tigers aren't faced with that type of a problem. The dense forests and jungles offer a lot of cammoflauge. Either way, the largest prey items like elephants, rhino, and hippo are isolated cases. The most common prey for tigers is the Sambar deer and wild boar. The most coom prey for lions is the Wilderbeast and the Zebra. These animals are all about the same size up, 400-600 lbs.
BUFFALO vs GAUR. A main comparison I've seen is between the Cape Buffalo and the Gaur. Comments like "it takes several lions to bring down a 900 kg Buffalo while a tiger can kill a 1,500 kg Gaur by himself". A very uneducated comment, as Gaurs bulls are only about 1,000 kg. First of all, tigers target young gaurs and cows more frequently. Second, there is the issue of the herd. Lions have to separate their prey on an open terrain. That usually means charging a gigantinc herd that can number in the hundreds. Gaurs, on the other hand, live in small herds of up to 40 individuals in a densily covered jungle. So the tiger definitely has an element of surprise and a much less formidable opposition then the lions do. Finally, there is the issue of aggression. The Cape Buffalo is one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in Africa. The Gaur is far more dosile by comparison though has been known to charge and attack domestic cattle.
CROCODILES. Another myth is comparing the two crocodile species the two cats occasionally interact with. Footage is shown of tiger going into water in the presence of crocodiles. There is even a documented scene of a tiger killing crocodile on land. However, it shold be noted that it is the Indian Mugger crocodile (up to 12 ft and 450 lbs) which rarely attacks large animals. The African Nile crocodile is a completely different story. Much larger in size (11-20 ft and 1,000 - 2,000 lbs) they attack just about everything that comes up to the water, including buffalo and in rare cases clash with hippos. So, this particular comparison is very unfair. Anyone that thinks a tiger would strike fear into Nile crocodiles and would "cross the river" in front them is downright crazy.
Once again, I'm not sure why people look at the hunting qualities of the two cats as a valid comparison. Single tigers have been known to kill large Gaurs. Single lions have been documented in taking large Buffalo. Lions in general have to hunt in groups due to the open terrain of Africa and the aggression of the larger targeted prey. Tigers can afford to hunt alone due to the thick jungle cammoflauge and the less aggressive prey. Most sources document that lions, on average, hunt larger game then tigers due to the ability to hunt as a unit.
First of all, as I explained in earlier topics, strength is not a factor in regards to a lion vs tiger face off. Both cats are strong enough to kill animals double their size. As such, both are MORE THAN strong enough to kill each other. If one individual is slightly bigger/stronger it really won't make a difference in this situation. Now, onto hunting.
LION
Lions hunt in groups and the females usually do the majority of the work. It's not really because the male is lazy it's because he is a handicap in regards to stealth. On the open savanah the cover for sneaking is very minimal. The bulky build, tall stature, and puffy mane of a male lion will not allow it to get close enough to prey to launch an attack. Females, on the other hand, can sneak much better. They sneak up to the victim until they reach a distance of approximately 30 metres (98 ft) or less. Typically, several female lions work together and encircle the herd from different points. Once they have closed with a herd, they usually target the closest prey. The attack is short and powerful; they attempt to catch the victim with a fast rush and final leap. The prey is usually killed by strangulation, which can cause cerebral ischemia or asphyxia (which results in hypoxemic, or "general," hypoxia). The prey may also be killed by the lion enclosing the animal's mouth and nostrils in its jaws (which would also result in asphyxia). Smaller prey, though, may simply be killed by a swipe of a lion's paw.
The range of animals brought down is great. Mainly this will include ungulates weighing between 50 and 300 kg (110–660 lb) such as kudu, hartebeest, gemsbok, and eland. Extensive statistics collected over various studies show that lions normally feed on mammals in the range 190–550 kg (420–1210 lb). However, due to their cooperative efforts the lion holds the record for the largest prey animals of any terrestrial predator. Lions have been known to bring down full grown African Elephants (7,000 lbs) at the Savuti river. Full grown hippos (4,000 lbs ), and giraffe (3,000 lbs) have been observed as occasional prey targets. The extremely aggressive Cape Buffalo (500-900 kg or 1,100 - 2,000 lbs) is known as fairly common prey item. In the cases of these large animals in takes several lions to bring them down. However, in the case of the Cape Buffalo have been observed to be take on by single male lions as well. At least one documented record shows a single lioness forcefully drowning a cow buffalo in the swamp.
It is also common knowledge that lions scavange very frequently and fight with other predators for kills. They will also target the younger/smaller animals before going after adults that can seriously fight back. But this is true of any predator.
TIGER
Tigers generally hunt alone and ambush their prey as most other cats do, overpowering them from any angle, using their body size and strength to knock large prey off balance. Even with their great masses, tigers can reach speeds of about 49-65 kilometres per hour (35-40 miles per hour), although they can only do so in short bursts, since they have relatively little stamina; consequently, tigers must be relatively close to their prey before they break their cover. Tigers have great leaping ability; horizontal leaps of up to 10 metres have been reported, although leaps of around half this amount are more typical. However, only one in twenty hunts ends in a successful kill.
Tigers hunt small-sized and large-sized animals, such as wild boar, barasingha, chital, nilgai, foxes, and they also feed on fish and other animals. They sometimes prey on smaller animals such as hares, monkeys, langurs or peathingys, and carrion is also readily taken. Some of the large game targeted by this cat are the Gaur (up to 1,000 kg or 2,200 lbs), the Indian Water Buffalo (2,000 lbs), and in the case of the Siberian tiger the Moose (850–1,580 lbs). There have also been documented incidents with tigers comming in conflict with the Indian Rhino and the Indian Elephant. But it is not known how successful those kills were and the age of the targeted speciments.
Tiger hunts are rarely observed and filmed due to the nature of the cat and the jungle terrain. Unlike with lions, there is no footage of tigers tackling large game. Fully grown animals are not a frequent target for the tiger. K. ullas Karanth and Melvin E. Sunquist reported in the "Journal of Animal Ecology" (1995) that tiger prefer prey over 176 kg. The average for the prey targeted prey animals is 91.5 kg. Tiger predation was biased towards adult male chital, sambar, wild pig, and young gaur.
COMPARISON
I never understood why people try to compare the two cats based on their targeted prey. Both predators will target the weak and the young as their first option. So, that's really the first thing to consider.
SIZE. Lions hunt and groups and therfore have been known to take down larger game more frequently than the lone tigers. Hunting in a group is really the only option for lions as the African terrain offers very little cover and the animals travel in massive herds that must be separated. Cooperation is a must. Tigers aren't faced with that type of a problem. The dense forests and jungles offer a lot of cammoflauge. Either way, the largest prey items like elephants, rhino, and hippo are isolated cases. The most common prey for tigers is the Sambar deer and wild boar. The most coom prey for lions is the Wilderbeast and the Zebra. These animals are all about the same size up, 400-600 lbs.
BUFFALO vs GAUR. A main comparison I've seen is between the Cape Buffalo and the Gaur. Comments like "it takes several lions to bring down a 900 kg Buffalo while a tiger can kill a 1,500 kg Gaur by himself". A very uneducated comment, as Gaurs bulls are only about 1,000 kg. First of all, tigers target young gaurs and cows more frequently. Second, there is the issue of the herd. Lions have to separate their prey on an open terrain. That usually means charging a gigantinc herd that can number in the hundreds. Gaurs, on the other hand, live in small herds of up to 40 individuals in a densily covered jungle. So the tiger definitely has an element of surprise and a much less formidable opposition then the lions do. Finally, there is the issue of aggression. The Cape Buffalo is one of the most aggressive and dangerous animals in Africa. The Gaur is far more dosile by comparison though has been known to charge and attack domestic cattle.
Known as one of the "big five" or "Black Death" in Africa, the African Buffalo is widely regarded as a very dangerous animal, as it gores and kills several people every year. Buffalo are sometimes reported to kill more people in Africa than any other animal, although the same claim is sometimes made of Hippopotamuses, Crocodiles, or Bees. Buffalo are notorious among big game hunters as very dangerous animals, with wounded animals reported to ambush and attack pursuers.
CROCODILES. Another myth is comparing the two crocodile species the two cats occasionally interact with. Footage is shown of tiger going into water in the presence of crocodiles. There is even a documented scene of a tiger killing crocodile on land. However, it shold be noted that it is the Indian Mugger crocodile (up to 12 ft and 450 lbs) which rarely attacks large animals. The African Nile crocodile is a completely different story. Much larger in size (11-20 ft and 1,000 - 2,000 lbs) they attack just about everything that comes up to the water, including buffalo and in rare cases clash with hippos. So, this particular comparison is very unfair. Anyone that thinks a tiger would strike fear into Nile crocodiles and would "cross the river" in front them is downright crazy.
Once again, I'm not sure why people look at the hunting qualities of the two cats as a valid comparison. Single tigers have been known to kill large Gaurs. Single lions have been documented in taking large Buffalo. Lions in general have to hunt in groups due to the open terrain of Africa and the aggression of the larger targeted prey. Tigers can afford to hunt alone due to the thick jungle cammoflauge and the less aggressive prey. Most sources document that lions, on average, hunt larger game then tigers due to the ability to hunt as a unit.
