Tiger versus Lion versus Cheetah

If there was three fights between a tiger and a lion, a tiger and a cheetah, and a lion and a cheetah; which cat would win?

The tiger is overall faster, swifter, and more agile than the lion.

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Why The Tiger Has a Better Chance of Winning:

There is a popular notion that a lion is meant for fighting whereas a tiger is meant for hunting and hence a lion will win in a tiger-lion fight. Some people mention that like a pitbull can own larger dogs, a lion can defeat a tiger since, like the pitbull, the lion is meant to be a fighter. This is a bad comparison. That a lion plays the role of a fighter in a pride doesn’t make the tiger a non-fighter and just a predator. A tiger predates AND fights. And that’s why they are way more active than lions. Over their lifespan, a lion fights other lions less than ten times. This may be well less than the number of tiger-fights a tiger has to face over food/mating/territory. A lion may have to fight off hyenas, too. A tiger, on the other hand, fights with leopards, wolves, dholes and black/brown bears over food/territory.

The ‘strength’ analysis is of course an ideal one. A lot of them may prove to be invalid in real fights. Most of the ‘documents’, ‘eye-witness accounts’ and vidoes (though most of them are manipulated to suit the story of movies) show that there is more chance of a tiger winning the fight than a lion winning it. It seems that a tiger might be reluctant to fight at first. But if compelled to, it’s a much better and more powerful fighter than a lion.

Size does matter. An average Bengal/Siberian tiger measures 10 feet and 500 lbs. Can measure up to 11 feet and ~620 lbs. Lions average 9 feet and 410 lbs. Can grow as large as 10 feet and 530 lbs. (Not considering the more extreme cases for either cat). Clearly, tigers have an advantage. Additionally, the build of a tiger provides much more balance and agility. The weight of a tiger is more evenly distributed over its body-length than that of a lion. A tiger’s tail, being heavier compared to a lion’s, makes it easier for the tiger to turn. And if the animal with larger size also has greater agility, it’s the one that should win more fights. Add to that the advantages of bigger paws, faster swipes and longer canines!

An African lion, hailing from a place where it doesn’t get much competition from other animals, attacks from the word ‘go’. On the other hand, a tiger, coming from places where it fights bears, wild dogs etc, assesses the situation first and then goes for the kill. (Ok, lions, too, live alongside wild dogs. But they don’t clash much since lions live in prides. For the same reason, lions rarely fight leopards). For this reason, some animal trainers and experts have mentioned the tiger as an intelligent boxer. Additionally, the Bengal tigers are widely considered as being extremely aggressive when drawn into a fight.

In 100 fights between the two in any natural setting and in non-extreme climate, I’d bet a Bengal tiger will own an African lion 80 times provided there is no bias in choosing the animals. I’d expect an average Bengal tiger of the Terrai (see above) with 530 lbs and 10′, to make a short work of an average South African lion (~410 lbs and 8.5′). Even pound for pound, a tiger is stronger. If it’s a smaller-than-average Bengal tiger, with size and wight similar to the lion’s, it should be 70-30 in favor of the tiger.

Overall, there may be very few really big and aggressive lions that may defeat a Bengal/Siberian tiger, but on an average a tiger will win against a lion almost everytime.

Tiger/Lion and Rhino: There are evidences that tigers in the North and East India kill rhinos, even though rarely. But no lion has been known to have killed a rhino. Not even a lion pride. But this is not a good comparison of strength. It surely goes on to say that the tigers must be super-strong, but it can’t discredit the lion for not attacking a rhino. The African rhinos have longer and sharper horns and may grow bigger than the Indian ones. Here’s a WWF report on two orphan rhino calves whose mother has been killed by a tiger. Here’s a report saying that three rhinos have been killed by tiger(s).

Tiger/Lion and Elephant: The Indian elephants avoid tigers. Elephants are known to be attacked by tigers, even though rarely. One single tiger can kill a bull elephant. While it’s true that one single lion can not kill a bull elephant, we need to see the difference in elephants. The African elephants are much larger than the Indian ones and have longer tasks. A bull African elephant is around 1.5 times in weight compared to an Indian one. Here’s a Yahoo!News article about how a bull elephant died after getting injured by a Bengal tigress. One of the most viewed videos online is a small clip where a tiger attacks the person sitting on an elephant. Notice how the tiger completely ignores the elephant!

Tiger/Lion and Buffalo: The tiger wins a point here. It’s extremely rare for a single lion to take down a Cape Buffalo. The tigers frequently prey on Gaur and Asian Water Buffalo, both of which are much bigger than the Cape Buffalo. The Gaur is the largest of the major species of wild oxen and has a superb muscular built. It can stand more than 6′ at shoulder and weigh more than a ton. This journal paper by John Singh indicates that Gaur falls into regular prey category of tigers. A Gaur had reportedly been killed and dragged by a tiger whereas 13 men could not move the carcass!