Intelligence of the big cats...

[Spalea]

About #9: I never said that lions were more intelligent than tigers. Never. But I have to admit to have been happy to discover the account mentionned at #1. For once I see an account arguing that lions are the smartest cats ! Compared with tigers, lions are always discriminated and mocked, forum after forum, wildfact excepted. I acknowledge that tigers, physically speaking, embodies a sort of plastic animal perfection. Not lions. But the lions have other things, other assets. Otherwise they would never be spread all over the world during the Pleistocene period. One of their assets is probably their social life, even if, as you say, is not as evolved as the hyenas' one (hyena, wolf, african wild dog and so on). Relationships between members of a same pride are rather rough, yes !

One of the good point, I think, of this study is to state that a lion by watching his other congeners can solve a test. Good point because that demonstrates the advantages of a social life for this felid. A second point is to see that, once solved, they can recall the solution several months later... Nothing extraordinary would you say, but nevertheless, I just speak about lions.

Now, I don't want to claim that lions outperform the tigers, leopards and other big cats. I don't want to classify the felids in intelligence order.

So, perhaps as you say this study is biased. Biased because it compares wild lions with captiv tigers. OK, it isn't fair. Agree with you. I tell you again I don't want to remember in this study that lions would succeed some test that other felids would fail. I just retain that lions aren't dumb animals and that they can perform in the intelligence tests.

I know that tigers can be social animals, I crossed a biologist having traveled in India in order to write a book about tigers during the 80's. And his book was one of the first to show several photos of a complete family of tigers: the adult male and female, and their cubs, all resting around a water source. I was impressed to see for the first time such a photo like these ones...

I know that tigers and lions during prehistoric times have crossed several other huge predators (sabertooth cats, big bears and so on), perhaps even more powerful. They have survived them. As concerns the lions thank to their social life perhaps. As concerns the solitary tiger thank to other factors, intelligence and elusiv felid... ? Reply