Are Tigers 'Brainier' Than Lions?

[tigerluver]

(06-17-2014, 09:10 PM)Apollyon Wrote: Pckts:
"Other then having 30+ years of hands on expierence?

Come on, this is a guy who has every right to make that observation. It's like telling a mother of 3 that she has no idea who is her smartest child becasue she is not a expert in brain composition.
Of course she will know, she observes, raises them, sees their weaknesses and strengths, etc....

Similar sized animals, similar proportions, yet for some reason the Tiger has a 16% larger brain?

What fact or account do you have that backs anything you are trying to say?"


Trainers are highly biased...just like anyone else.  You provided no objective criteria.  It is quite likely that 'smarter' means 'easier to train'.  Are Dogs smarter than Cats?

The larger brain size is a possible indication of greater intelligence.  However it is certainly not definitive and, to my knowledge, difficult to show how this greater intelligence manifests itself.

Set aside the Lion and let's use the Leopard.  As far as I know, the Leopard's brain is, proportionally, the same as the Lion.  But, it is a solitary hunter and inhabits a wide variety of environments.  What actions/behaviours differentiates the Tiger over the Leopard that would be an indication of superior intelligence?

As to my lack of evidence for my position...I never stated my position.  I simply challenged yours.

Many trainers have said Lions are harder to train (than Tigers).  Is this due to inferior intelligence or due to a different temperament.  Which is more likely?

Regarding the statement in bold, you make a good point. At least with my experience with intelligent parrots, the smaller ones are just as smart as the larger one in terms of analytical intelligence (verbal ability on the other hand seems to be given to larger brains, with the exception of the budgie). The brain size to body proportions are about the same between these species. Thus, I believe that within a family (within cats, dogs, parrots, etc.), a smaller brain does not mean a less bright animal if it has the same brain to body proportion when compared to the larger brained animal. 

Albeit, the brain to body proportions isn't the same between tigers and lions. Proportionately larger brains are linked to greater intelligence often (humans, birds are some exampels). Of course, there's much more to smarts than just size, but when sister species show signifant difference in proportionality, something is up as the evidence I've stated shows. The discrepancy can be explained in evolutionary terms. The tiger and lion separated very long ago. The tiger has one chain of evolution, while the lion, leopard, and jaguar fall in the other. I am not sure of any evidence for this, but you stated that leopards have proportionately equal brains to lions (which is reasonable). As a whole, the tiger is the odd one out from the big cat family, and this is explained by how early it's ancestors were seperated in my opinion. Reply