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.
(07-19-2017, 10:20 PM)Amnon242 Wrote: East african lions. Father, mother, son
BTW I talked with the owner of this private zoo (20+ years of experience with around 50 lions and 20 tigers). He is huge lion lover and he dislikes tigers (he is going to cancel his amur tiger program...he is also going to keep his white tigers beacuse they are attractive and he needs visitors). He says that according to his opinion (captive) amur tigers are the biggest, while bengal and south african lions are about the same size (he was in India and especially in Africa many times). I asked him who would win in a fight and he said, that majority of people in the know prefer one one them but according to him it depends strictly on the individual. His felids are in good condition and have long life (one lion was 24 yo when he died) and this zoo is extremely successfull in breeding. Its beacuse quiet environment (felids have a lot of privacy) and proper food (usually veal). In many zoos felids have inapropriate diet (chicken, rabbits...) and therefore have tendencies to obesity.
Same answer as Tony Hughes on encounters between captive lions and tigers; there's no such thing as species-related ability in a fight. It depends on the individual.
As to his remark on size.
We have to remember that there is a pronounced difference between captive and wild tigers. Captive Amur tigers often are larger and bigger than their wild relatives. In Indian tigers, it's the other way round. Captive lions often are a bit bigger than their wild relatives.
The only regions where wild adult males average 200 kg. (442 pounds) and over are India and Nepal (tigers). Southern and southwestern Africa could be second (lions), but Amur tigers are quite close.
In tigers, exceptional individuals are only seen in India and Nepal. Exceptional males lions, on the other hand, have been seen in most regions. WaveRiders measured a skull of a 600-pound wild lion shot in Kenya.