The lion is king in the savanna, while the tiger controls the forest. When both fight, who will win?
When compared to a tiger with a lion on its weight, the average tiger weighs 363 kilograms, while the lion has a lighter weight, which weighs 250 kilograms.
Today, pitting lions with tigers seems unethical. But in Ancient Rome, pitting these two ferocious animals was not a strange thing.
According to William Birdges, curator of the Bronx Zoo, in ancient times, more people will usually support tigers. Although there is no written evidence of who won the most, an ancient painting shows that the winner is a tiger.
In the 1800s, Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda in India, held a battle between the two animals, and once again, the tiger won the battle.
In 2011, a tiger killed a lion with a fistfight using his paws in Ankara Zoo in Turkey. The tiger found a gap between their guardrail and attacked the lion. When met, the tiger struck the vein of the lion's neck.
Craig Saffoe, a biologist at the Smithsonian Zoo, also told Live Science that the tiger would also win if it fought with a lion.
"From what I see, tigers are more aggressive, they attack the throat and kill instantly, while lions are more likely to attack and play with their victims," Saffoe said.
Current Issues
However, fighting in the arena and at the zoo is certainly different from in the wild. If a tiger meets a lion without a cage or spectator, what will happen?
That's the problem now. According to the plan, some Asian lions from Gir Forest National Park will be moved to the Palpur Ancient Wildlife Reserve. Both are in Gujarat, India. In Ancient Palpur, live a number of tigers there.
Lion Research Center at the University of Minessota, asked the plan to be postponed because they feared the lions would be attacked by tigers, although it could have been different if the tigers and lions met in the wild.
Male lions usually fight in groups when someone attacks their territory. Therefore, the tiger may win in a one-on-one battle. But two or three male lions can surely defeat a tiger. Likewise when a group of lionesses against a tigress.
They concluded, even though the tiger can defeat the lion in a one-on-one battle, but a group of lions might win against a tiger.