Maximum size of prey that a single male lion or tiger can kill

[peter]

(03-20-2020, 05:25 PM)P.T.Sondaica Wrote: @Ashutosh  but @peter say matkasur dominan male bengal Tiger cannot kills small female bear...thats fact video in YouTube..Tiger just kill young bear or via ambush in face to face Tiger loss..

SONDAICA

My post on Matkasur and the female sloth bear he fought apparently resulted in a misunderstanding. In order to get things straight, I decided for this follow-up on tigers and bears in India and southeast Asia (a) and the Russian Far East (b). 

a - India and southeast Asia

There's plenty of information on tigers hunting sloth bears in India. I'm not only referring to countless posts in magazins like the JBNHS, but also to recent observations. I also have reliable reports on sun bears killed by tigers in southeast Asia and Sumatra. 

In contrast to tigers in the Russian Far East, tigers in India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam do not seem to hunt Himalayan black bears. I only have one report of a Himalayan black bear killed by a tiger (in Bhutan). That bear was an immature male. 

b - The Russian Far East

In southeastern Russia, bears are an important food item for tigers. In some districts and seasons, bears as important as wild boars. Tigers hunt both Himalayan black bears (including adult males) and brown bears (including adult females). Most bears are hunted by bear 'specialists', but 2-3 year old males and adult females also hunt bears occasionally. 

c - The interaction between Matkasur and the female sloth bear

Although vital information is missing, the videos said the incident happened on a hot day near a waterhole. Matkasur was cooling down when the sloth bear and her large cub arrived. Some posters thought Matkasur acted to secure the waterhole for his cubs, but I'm not sure. Maybe he wanted the waterhole for himself. Anyhow. 

When an adult male tiger approaches a female sloth bear less than half his weight in order to convey a message, the bear usually moves away. The female sloth bear did not. At least, not quick enough. When Matkasur persisted and got too close to the bears, the female faced him in order to protect her cub. Matkasur, clearly surprised, retreated. Only to start again. And again. My guess is his persistence was perceived as an attempt to get to the cub. In the end, the attempt to 'guide' the bears away from the waterhole turned into a confrontation. 

At the start, the tiger, to a degree, seemed to enjoy the interaction. To the female sloth bear, however, his persistence was threatening. This is the reason she acted aggressively right from the start. As time progressed, the interaction developed into a confrontation with a serious character. Mutkasar, slowly but surely, was dragged into a bout he most probably wanted to avoid. When the female sloth bear, after some exchanges, initiated full contact, the tiger, not willing to give in, was forced to act in a similar way. Although some posters thought the fight never was very serious, it's clear the tiger tried to kill the female sloth bear at some stage. 

The female seemed doomed, but the tiger apparently didn't know how to use his advantage. My guess is Matkasur had no experience with sloth bears. When he, during the fight, got to a similar conclusion, the female sloth bear, to a degree, was able to turn the tables. In the end, both, and Matkasur in particular, retreated. Although he was able to hold on to the waterhole, the tiger, clearly exhausted, concluded the time to read his book on bears one more time had arrived. The courageous female sloth bear underlined sloth bears are no joke, but it's very likely she was wounded. 

d - Before you post

When you see a video about an interaction between a tiger and a bear you don't quite understand, watch it again. Read comments of posters and people in the know. Then watch the video again. When you decide to use a comment of one poster only, make sure you understand what was said. If you don't, chances are you'll get to interpretations and unfounded conclusions. In this way, the poster whose comment was used is more or less forced to respond.  

In general, remember there is a big difference between a hunt and something else. Tigers and sloth bears often meet in some parts of India. In most cases, they disperse. Every now and then, however, the result is a fight. When the tiger is determined, the bear, can be severely wounded or killed. Not every bear killed in a fight, however, is eaten. 

What I'm saying is a fight is different from a hunt. Tigers who learned to hunt bears are not out for a fight. Their intention is to kill their intended victim as quickly as possible. This is the main reason tigers involved in bears nearly always target smaller bears. 

In India, fights between tigers and sloth bears are not a result of disputes over food, but something else. In the Russian Far East, both Himalayan black bears and brown bears often visit tiger kills. Disputes near these kill sites not seldom result in serious fights. The information I have says adult male tigers and adult male brown bears are involved as well. Doesn't happen often, but it happens. 

Adult tigers have been killed in fights with brown bears. My guess is most of them were females, but there are three reliable reports about male tigers killed in fights with male brown bears. Two of them were young adults (3-4 years of age). I also have four reports about male bears killed in fights with male tigers, but these were not accepted by all authorities. 

Anyhow. The point is there is a difference between a hunt and a fight. Tigers hunting bears nearly always select smaller bears. Bears opposing a tiger in a fight, however, can be as large or larger (heavier). Authorities think male brown bears win most of these fights 'on points', but Krechmar, also an authority on tigers and bears in the Russian Far East, thinks not one dominates the other in a fysical fight. Bears often have weight advantage, but the difference between adult males of both species seems to be limited. It depends, that is. 

Individual variation in bears, however, is more pronounced than in tigers. Some male bears easily exceed 800 pounds. My guess is bears of that size will displace any tiger, but there's not much information. If anything, these giants seem to select tigresses with cubs. Reply