Originally posted by quanchi112
Those four reasons are solid reasons. Sure a tiger can still win but the poin is the lion has the advantage. Experience,the mane,etc. all give it the edge, But tigers still kill lions. Its just lions kill more tigers.
"Answer
Hi, Steve
Well, it is true that in staged fights tigers usually retreat or try to avoid the fight at all costs. This is not, however, because they are not as good fighters as lions, but rather because they are solitary animals and no one would take care of them if they end up injured.
An injury that would be minor for a lion (who is fed by the other members of the pride) would cause death to a solitary tiger unable to hunt by itself.
Now, about those factors you mentioned:
1- It is true that lions fight a lot, but unfortunately, lion and tiger fans have spreaded the mistaken belief that lions are the fighters and tigers the hunters. Both lions and tigers are fighters AND hunters. Male tigers actually behave very much like male lions, fighting over territory constantly and often killing each other. They might not fight in groups, but they are as aggressive as lions, as any true tiger expert would tell you. Now, if you see more lion fights on TV, that's mostly because lions are much easier to see and follow, than tigers...
2- About the killing method of both cats, I would like to make clear that they don´t use them when they fight. Both lions and tigers fight mainly with their claws. Trying to use a throat grip is way too dangerous when fighting a member of their own species. When a tiger or lion dies after a fight, it is because of excessive bleeding or infection from its wounds, but they almost never get bitten in the throat.
3- The mane of lions does offer some protection, but as I said, big cats usually don´t use the throat bite in intraespecific fighting. The real function of the mane is to look as fierce and large as possible to the eyes of any possible competitor. This, and the larger average height of lions, partially explains your fourth reason; staged fights usually pit tigers against captive male lions, which have very developed manes. It is obvious that such a sight is intimidating for any captive tiger who doesn´t have a size advantage over the lion.
Note that I'm not biased towards tigers or lions. But I do think that lion fans have tried to minimize tigers using the exact reasons you gave.
My advice? Don´t take the tiger vs lion question very seriously. As I've said before, sometimes one would win, sometimes the other.
Best regards
Dewey"