Tiger versus lion

Lion and Tiger Fighting by James Ward, 1797

Historically, the comparative merits of the tiger versus the lion was a popular topic of discussion by hunters, naturalists, artists, and poets, and it continues to inspire the popular imagination in the present day.^[1][2][3] Lions and tigers have competed in the wild where their ranges have overlapped. They have also been pitted against other in captivity, either as deliberate contests or as a result of accidental encounters.

History

In the circuses of Ancient Rome, exotic beasts were commonly pitted against each other. The contest of the lion against the tiger was a classic pairing and the betting usually favoured the tiger.^[4][5] A mosaic in the House of the Faun in Pompeii shows a fight between a lion and a tiger.^[6] At the end of the 19th century, the Gaekwad of Baroda arranged a fight between a lion and tiger before an audience of thousands. The Gaekwad favoured the lion but it lost, costing the Gaekwad his wager of 37,000 rupees.^[2] Video recordings of early 20th-century tiger-lion combats have been circulated via YouTube.^[7]

Competition in the wild

Lions and tigers coexisted in central India until the late 19th century and some accounts of contests were recorded.^[7] The University of Minnesota's Lion Research Project describes the resulting findings as unclear: the lions were hunted more than tigers due to them preferring plain land due to which they now only live in gir forest where no tiger lives.^[7] The possibility of conflicts between the two has been raised in relation to the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, which would introduce Gir Lions (Asiatic lions) from Gir Forest National Park to another preserve, the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, that contains tigers.^[7] Concerns were raised that the co-presence of lions and tigers would "trigger frequent clashes", and that the tigers could overwhelm the introduced lions.^[7][8] A Lion Research Project website discusses several aspects of the confrontation. Lion advantages include their juvenile male members' combat experience over access to females and later tendency to engage in group combat, along with the protective advantage of their manes.^[7] According to the site, tigers generally possess an advantage in size and weight, although these metrics vary by tiger subspecies.^[7]

Physical comparison

Comparative size

Comparative profiles of the lion and tiger.^[9]

The Amur, or Siberian Tiger is the largest subspecies of the Panthera genus, with large males weighing up to 660 lbs (300 kg),^[10] while large African Lions weigh up to 550 lbs (250 kg).^[11]

Temperament

The tiger is a solitary hunter while the lion is a social animal, living and hunting in groups called prides. Though lions cooperate in hunting, the pride is very competitive during feeding. Weaker animals are pushed aside or chased off. The competitive nature of this social structure makes the lion more prone to fighting, especially males whose very lives depend (since the male isn't as specialized in hunting on the open plains) on getting a pride of their own. The tiger is significantly quicker than the lion and so keepers of captive tigers must take care to avoid a sudden attack.^[12]

Accidental fights in captivity

In his book The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, Charles Darwin describes an encounter between a tiger and a lion in captivity: "In 1857 a tiger at Bromwich broke into the cage of a lion, and a fearful scene ensued; "the lion's mane saved his neck and head from being much injured, but the tiger at last succeeded in ripping up his belly, and in a few minutes he was dead." ^[13] In September 2010 a tiger at Ankara Zoo got into the lion enclosure and killed a lion.^[14] "The tiger severed the lion's jugular vein in a single stroke with its paw, leaving the animal dying in a pool of blood", officials said. In 2004, a lion defeated a tiger in a contest over access to a pool in a Chinese zoo, but did not kill the tiger.^[15] In 1951 at a circus performance in Milwaukee, a male lion killed a tigress.^[12]

Character comparison

18th century naturalists and authors were wont to compare the species' characters, generally in favor of the lion.^[16] Oliver Goldsmith ranked the lion first among carnivorous mammals, followed by the tiger, which in his view "...seems to partake of all the noxious qualities of the lion, without sharing any of his good ones. To pride, courage, and strength, the lion joins greatness, clemency, and generosity; but the tiger is fierce without provocation, and cruel without necessity."^[17] Charles Knight, writing in the The English Cyclopaedia, disparages the opinions of naturalists Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon and Thomas Pennant in this context, stating that "...the general herd of authors who eulogise the 'courage, greatness, clemency, and generosity' of the lion, contrasting it with the unprovoked ferocity, unnecessary cruelty, and poltroonery of the tiger, becomes ridiculous, though led by such names as Buffon and Pennant."^[16] Knight goes on to write that "The lion has owed a good deal to his mane and his noble and dignified aspect; but appearances are not always to be trusted."^[16]

King of the Beasts

The lion is traditionally thought of as the 'King of the Beasts' in English-speaking countries. But, in many Asian countries, such as China, India (where both big cats are present), Korea, and Japan, it is the tiger which holds this title.^[18][19] However ancient Indian texts in Sanskrit call the lion, 'Vanraj' meaning King of Jungle.

Arts and literature

Art

The Seringapatam medal shows a lion defeating a tiger

Battles between the two were painted in the 18th and 19th centuries by Eugène Delacroix, George Stubbs, and James Ward. Ward's paintings, which portrayed lion victories in accordance with the lion's symbolic value in Great Britain, have been described as less realistic than Stubbs'.^[20] The British Seringapatam medal shows a lion defeating a tiger in battle; an Arabic language banner on the medal displays the words "ASAD ALLAH AL-GHALIB" (the lion of God is the conqueror).^[21] The medal commemorated the British victory at the 1799 Battle of Seringapatam (in the town now known as Srirangapatna) over Tipu Sultan—who used tigers as emblems, as opposed to the British emblematic use of lions.^[21]

Literature

English literature compared their battle strengths.^[22] The poets Edmund Spenser, Allan Ramsey, and Robert Southey described lion victories.^[22] In the view of a 19th-century literary critic, these contests established "sovereignty of the animal world".^[22]

References

1. ^ José Ortega y Gasset (2007), Meditations on Hunting, ISBN 9781932098532, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Nh1rlJ8sg58C&pg=PA61 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Lion against tiger", The Baltimore Sun: 3, Jan 26, 1899, http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1647483302.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Jan+26,+1899&author=&pub=The+Sun+(1837-1985)&desc=LION+AGAINST+TIGER&pqatl=google 
3. ^ Thomas, Isabel (2006), Lion vs. Tiger, Raintree, ISBN 9781410923981 
4. ^ Roland Auguet (1994), Cruelty and civilization: the Roman games, ISBN 9780415104531, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aVhXYli82rAC&pg=PA85 
5. ^ William Bridges (Aug 22, 1959), "Lion vs. tiger: who'd win?", The Spokesman-Review, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xZwzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=y-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3264,2462178 
6. ^ Anthony King (2002), The natural history of Pompeii, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521800549, http://books.google.com/books?id=3xfjyTqqR7IC&pg=PA440 
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Frequently asked questions". University of Minnesota Lion Research Project. http://www.cbs.umn.edu/eeb/lionresearch/about/faq.shtml. Retrieved 2011-06-28. 
8. ^ "MP not fit for Asiatic lions, Gujarat tells PM". Times of India. Jun 19, 2006. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-06-19/india/27795052_1_asiatic-lions-gir-lions-kuno-palpur-sanctuary. Retrieved 2011-06-28. "At a two-hour meeting of National Board of Wildlife presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, Govind Patel said the "presence of tigers in the Kuno Palpur sanctuary would trigger frequent clashes between the two carnivores over territories-- tiger and lions--which can never co-exist in the same place."" 
9. ^ Charles Frederick Partington (1835), "Felis, the cat tribe", The British cyclopæedia of natural history, Orr & Smith, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DThEAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA718 
10. ^ National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/siberian-tiger/ 
11. ^ National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/african-lion/ 
12. ^ ^{a b} Kirk Bates (28 Feb, 1951), "When a Lion fights a Tiger", The Milwaukee Journal, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=OgYqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DSQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5287,5132761 
13. ^ Charles Darwin (August 8, 2011), The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex, pp. 688–689, ISBN 691023697 
14. ^ "Tiger Kills Lion In Turkish Zoo". BBC News. 7 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12669308. Retrieved 14 March 2011. 
15. ^ "Lion beats Tiger". http://english.people.com.cn/200407/20/eng20040720_150169.html. 
16. ^ ^{a b c} Charles Knight (1854). The English cyclopaedia: a new dictionary of Universal Knowledge. Bradbury and Evans. p. 219. http://books.google.com/books?id=S9REAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT219. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
17. ^ Oliver Goldsmith; Georges Léopold C.F.D. Cuvier (baron de.) (1847). A history of the earth and animated nature, with an intr. view of the animal kingdom tr. from the Fr. of baron Cuvier, notes and a life of the author by W. Irving. p. 367. http://books.google.com/books?id=xLcTAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA367. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
18. ^ X Liu (2005), "A Contrastive Study of In correspondence between English and Chinese", US-China Foreign Language 3 (11), ISSN 1539-8080, http://www.linguist.org.cn/doc/uc200511/uc20051111.pdf 
19. ^ Yan-hua Tao (2010), "A Study on Cultural Connotations Between Chinese and English Animal Words", Studies in Literature and Language 1 (4), http://cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/view/1418 
20. ^ Frank McLynn (2006). 1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World. Canongate Books. p. 163. ISBN 9780802142283. http://books.google.com/books?id=7bncduYFrVYC&pg=PA163&dq=lion+tiger+george+stubbs&hl=en&ei=Z-bBTIbnD5CmnQe9p6WFCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=lion%20tiger%20george%20stubbs&f=false. "George Stubbs, the most famous and original animal painter of his time who was just reaching his peak in 1759, liked to display combats of lion versus tiger, though he did not commit the egregious mistake made in James Ward's animal pictures painted later in the century where the lion symbolizes Britain and the tiger India; in reality, as we know very clearly from the obscene animal fights staged by the Ancient Romans in the arena, the tiger would win every time.[1]" 
21. ^ ^{a b} Maya Jasanoff (2007). Edge of Empire: Lives, Culture, and Conquest in the East, 1750–1850. Random House. ISBN 9780307425713. http://books.google.com/books?id=fx3obJai0RMC&pg=PT150&dq=the+lion+of+god+not+the+tiger+is+the+conqueror&hl=en&ei=W9_BTObxKYfFnAealYD5CQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=the%20lion%20of%20god%20not%20the%20tiger%20is%20the%20conqueror&f=false. 
22. ^ ^{a b c} Charles Francis Richardson (1883). Good literature: a literary eclectic weekly, Volume 5. AbeBooks. p. 114. http://books.google.com/books?id=iRXnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA114&dq=lion+tiger+literary&hl=en&ei=E-vBTI2-EsSenAeMm6HqCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

Further reading

• Isabel Thomas (2006), Lion vs. Tiger, Raintree, ISBN 9781410923981, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v92FTWrCTvwC 
• Jerry Pallotta, Rob Bolster (2009), Lion vs. tiger, Scholastic, ISBN 9780545175715, http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h_DxSAAACAAJ 

External links

• Lion and tiger fights
• Tiger vs Lion historical encounters