A Discussion on the Reliability of Hunting Records

[tigerluver]

@Dr Panthera
Respectful rebuttals to your points.

1- The method problem department really stops at length. There's only one way to weigh something.

2- Modern peer-review process doesn't care about the data points either. It's the entire scope of the work reviewed, not whether you weighed your cat perfectly. 

2 and 3- @peter also has thoroughly touched on how hunters had a lot to lose if they were caught exaggerating records. In such a competitive sport, the big ones would be questioned by your competitors. Also note that hunting record tigers are on average lighter than our modern records. So I wouldn't think much tampering had been done.

The only hunting record regarding tigers that is questionable is the 384 kg specimen. A 320 kg tiger of Smythies is very possible, albeit the very high end. Keep in mind that in Smythies' tiger's region, in scientific record, we have 2 +/- 270 kg tigers, if what I learned about Nuna and Island Bhale is true, make that 4. Same for lions, we have a few cases of ~250 kg cats, 300 kg would eventually be reached by the freakishly large one.

3- Tigers and lions (cave lions) well of 400 kg existed and were morphologically viable. If you mean the prey base wouldn't be enough, for one specimen it would be, but not for a whole population. Yes, for a modern tiger 380 kg is insane, but once every thousands of generations, it isn't out of the question, like a 8 foot human isn't out of the question. Reply