There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
(11-03-2015, 07:45 AM)LPantherinae Wrote: the large bear's are just to big and powerful even for large male lions/tigers.
I think a tiger is a greater opponent to a bear than a lion, not only because they have more interactions with bears than lions, but they are more agile than lions and does have a lower center of gravity, and can use their arms and paws more.
but I have read some incredible stories about lion's defeating bear's and have shown amazing courage in fights with bears larger than themselves, but these are of course in captivity......
but in the wild I can't really see a bear stalking a tiger, I think in the cases where a bear kills a tiger, the tiger has taken a huge gamble and failed, or there has been a tiger defending something like a carcass, cubs or a young male who just wanna mess around.
from what I know of bears they would much rather stay away from the tiger and steal a kill when a tiger has had a successful hunt. rather than predate on tigers if not the tiger is unlucky. I'm quite sure a tiger would have escaped any attacking bear if they wanted to, tigers are more real predators and they will kill bear's by really hunting them, stalking and pounce the bear. the tiger is a real predator while the ber is an opportunistic omnivore who will kill if he needs to, and does not let an opportunity slipp away, that's why I think it's possible for these two animals to co-exist,
but at party a tiger can IMO kill a bear and a bear can kill a tiger.
Tigers are by no scientific measures more agile than lions, lions are conclusively faster runners than all big cats except cheetahs ( Dr. Luke Hunter in African cats), male lions were clocked at 51 km/hour and 54km/hour and male tigers are estimated to be of comparable range with no actual measured speed.
Tigresses are estimated to run at 60 Km/hour yet lionesses in ngorongoro crater were clocked at 20 meters per second ( 72 km/hour) by Canadian biologist Robertson in 1976 for up to 200 meters.
I have seen wild lions catch leopards that had 10 meters head start, and captive lions catching tigers with similar head start.
Forset cats are superior jumpers and woodland cats are superior runners and all are incredibly agile. And even a massive male lion or tiger that runs at 50 km/ hour is time and a half faster than Usain Bolt.
Tigers have evolved with bears and are well adapted to handle them, they know which bears could be potential food, which bears could be potential scavenging thieves, and which bears could pose mortal danger....and it is all about the individual experience of the particular tiger...Charger a male tiger in central India readily killed sloth bears, where there are photos of a sloth bear chasing a courting couple of Bengal tigers, a male and a female, Dale a 180 kg Amur tiger specialized in killing brown bears yet larger tigers than Dale gave up their kills to 100 kg Asiatic black bears!!!
The individual experience is quite amazing.