Question for Peter

[brotherbear]

Peter says: ~~The trainers I interviewed underlined the opinion and experience of the biologists mentioned above in that most thought male brown bears tend to overplay there hand at times. They are powerful animals well capable of handling a male tiger, but that doesn't mean they get it their way in a fight. Tigers are faster, as strong and heavily armed. Teethwise, an average male brown bear engaging an average male Amur tiger faces an opponent of his own weight or better, meaning he should always be wary. Wild animals know this, but captive animals tend to explore their limits, at times at their peril.
 
I believe that if an Amur tiger ambushes a large mature male brown bear, he stands a decent chance of a successful kill, but certainly not a sure win. In a face-to-face confrontation. the grizzly stands the better chance, but here again, not a sure win. Both antagonists realize this and so such fights between large healthy mature males of these two species are probably extremely rare. I agree that the tiger has speed, agility, and deadlier weapons. Even Casey Anderson stated that the grizzly is not an accomplished killer. However, I disagree that the tiger is equally as strong. The pantherines had to sacrifice brute strength for speed and agility. I'm not saying that tigers are not strong. One can actually see the rippling muscles in their arms and shoulders. But, I believe that the short back and broader build of the bear gives him greater strength when the two are compared equal size in terms of length and height.   Reply