Comparing Cats: A Discussion of Similarities & Differences

[HyperNova]

(09-24-2017, 04:58 AM)Polar Wrote:

(09-23-2017, 01:02 PM)peter Wrote:

(09-21-2017, 02:04 AM)HyperNova Wrote: @peter
You said the lion was a powerful locker, what do you mean by that?

When wild lions hunt large animals, males often participate. They use their forelimbs to grab and their weight to tire it and to bring their victim down. The jaws are used to lock, to hold and to maul, not to kill as fast as possible. This method allows other members of the pride to close in and participate in the killing. 

As killing a large and struggling animal can take a lot of time, lion skeletons and, in particular, skulls developed to deal with stress. This means they were reinforced in places where it matters most. If the jaws are used in this way (referring to male lions), there is a lot of pressure on the anterior part of the skull. This, most probably, is the reason the 'snout' of male lions was strengthened and why a bit of length was added. It also resulted in a convex mandibula. The combination of a longer and reinforced 'snout' and a convex mandibula resulted in a longish skull able to deal with pressure in the jaw region. The upper and lower jaw function as parts of a two-part lock.

If you want it visualized, imagine a human, say a professional hunter, with a spike in each hand. The spikes are used to contact a large animal and to hold on. The animal will try to escape by moving away from him. As it is much heavier than he is, he will be dragged forward. This means that the pressure created by the victim will move from his hands to his feet (a horizontal line). Some parts of his skeleton, for this reason, will need to be reinforced and it will most probably start with the bones in his hands and arms. 

A solitary hunter can't kill a large animal in this way. Not without damage, I mean. A solitary hunter has to find another way to kill a large animal. He can either strengthen his body (a) or develop efficient killing tools (b).

Bears (a) strengthened their body. They are so strong that they can attack nearly all animals. More robustness and weight, however, also meant they lost the speed needed to contact most prey animals. For this reason, they added fish, carrots, fruits and insects to their diet. This works, but only if it's available. In the northern hemisphere, bears often face long winters. This means that energy deficits can be expected every year. If they live in regions that have good hunters, like big cats, they can consider following and displacing them, but this is not a structural solution. As the food problem never was quite solved, hibernation was the only option. This is the reason that bears always worry about the food problem. Compared to cats, bears are much more food-orientated.

Big cats (b) developed efficient killing tools, but most species living in the northern hemisphere face bears. As they are not large enough to keep them at bay, they often are displaced. Pumas, for this reason, have to hunt more often than expected. This results in energy deficits.

Tigers, however, do quite well in the bear department. Like lions, they hunt large animals. The difference is they hunt on their own, meaning they can't afford a long struggle. This is the reason they developed efficient killing tools. Compared to lions, tigers have larger and more robust canines. The long canines enable them to get to a vital spot fast. This means that they need to be able to concentrate maximum force at the tip of the canines. For this reason, their skull was reinforced in those parts that matter. Tiger skulls can be considered as anchors for the large canines. 

As tigers need to be able to exercise vertical pressure, their skulls are vaulted. Skulls of male lions in particular developed to withstand horizontal pressure. This means that a vault isn't needed. Tigers, biters, have relatively short faces, whereas skulls of male lions, maulers, are relatively long.

When captive lions attack humans, they use the same method as wild lions. This means that don't use their skull to kill as fast as possible, but to pin and maul their victim. This means that he or she, if not bitten in the head, stands a small chance to survive a mauling. I know of several cases of keepers mauled in this way. If lionesses attack, they, like tigers and leopards, target the neck or skull in order to kill their victim as fast as possible.  

To conclude. Tigers, solitary hunters, have long and robust canines. Their skull developed to exercise maximum pressure at the tip of the canines. This is why they have short and rounded faces and a vaulted skull. Male lions can and do kill in the same way, but pride males in particular also often use their jaws to hold and maul a large animal. The pressure created by the struggling animals travels from nose to tail. For this reason, their skull developed to withstand significant pressure on a horizontal line. This is why male lions don't have a vault, this is why their 'snout' was lengthened and reinforced and this is why the angle of their canines isn't as acute as in tigers. The upper and lower jaw of a male lion serve as two parts of a steel lock. Once in, you can't get out.

All clear? If not, have another look at the pictures I posted. Watch the pressure lines.

One note that I would like to make is that, I wouldn't say bears are slower than other carnivores to contact prey animals in terms of running speed and reflexes. They can run just as fast as other big cats (with even farther endurance). But if by slower by say, agility, I would agree they don't do as well as big cats when it comes to grappling the prey in situations where total-body flexibility is needed the most. Otherwise, I completely concur with your other statements.

What was the maximum sprinting speed recorded from a bear? I somewhat doubt they can run as fast as big cats. Reply