Felids Interactions - Intraspecific Conflicts

[Pckts]

(12-31-2019, 04:41 AM)Shadow Wrote:

(12-31-2019, 03:30 AM)GuateGojira Wrote:

(12-30-2019, 02:58 AM)Pckts Wrote: Some may not like this but, sometimes thapar likes to sensationalize stories or theories.
I'm not saying he's not a valid source though.

Is a tigress capable to kill a tiger? Is Valmik Thapar a person that sensationalize stories or theories?

These two questions arise here and @Shadow tagged me to help him to answer one ot them.

1. Tiger vs tigress:
Logic will dictate that a smaller cat will lost agains a larger cat, however that is not always the case. In fact, Valmik Thapar in his great book "Tiger: The ultimate guide" of 2004 describes two events of a tigress killing and eating a male tiger, this is in page 59 and 60, also in page 68 he describe a similar event, but the conclusion in the last one was not death, she was just trying to fend-off the male until her cubs grow up. Check the images:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Now Dr Luke Hunter in this book "Wild Cats of the World" of 2015 follow the same conclution, check the section of Mortality:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Now, it is common consensus that tigers avoid fights trought a very complex system of land tenure, that change from estrict territories (Chitwan), to home range with overlap and even low-profile "residents" (Panna), Goodrich et al., 2010 made a good summary of this in this table, but take in count that he did not had the results about Panna that Dr Cundawat published until 2018:

*This image is copyright of its original author

However, when tigers fight they may cause death on each other. Dr Karanth gives a good example of that in his book "The Way of the Tiger " of 2001, in pages 75 and 76, check them:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

So, normally a male tiger (100 - 260 kg) will defeat a female (73 - 170 kg) with no doubt, but at least in those two cases described above, the female killed the male taking him by surprise.

2. Is Valmik Thapar a person that sensationalize stories or theories? 
I think that with more than 40 years of experience in tigers, with many books and other publications about this magnificent species, it seems unnecesary to defent the reputation of the great Valmik Thapar. All his books about tigers are based in real facts, using his own observations and also those of modern tiger scientists and well documented observations of zoologists and hunters in old litterature. Even his most criticized book "Exotic Aliens", which may have an incorrect conclution about the origin of the Indian lions, DO have real facts about India's history and culture and historic events. So, from my part, Valmik Thapar is one of the most reliable sources about tigers, together with Sunquist, Karanth and Chundawat, and if he ever "sensationalized" something, is probably the fact that tigers in India are STILL in danger, and for me, that is not sensationalization, but a bitter truth that some people in the Indian goverment still try to denied.

Thank you, seeing those pages was interesting. Good, that Thapar was there himself and could see all traces, carcass etc. It clarified things and from my part "case closed".

He wasn't there himself nor did he see anything take place, in fact he was 12 miles away in the rest house.
Allegedly the noises were heard at a Guard House 2km away but again, no name or witness is given here.
All Valmik claims is that a Tigress was eating a Tiger's rump section if he even saw it at all.
Could of very well been a Male, Female, Cub, Sub adult, who knows but no photos of the account nor witnesses have been presented.

The 2nd instance is a claim from a British Officer in 1950, again who knows if it's true.
Or if a British Officer stationed in a Forest Post would even be able to tell the difference between a male or female Tiger or let alone if it happened or was witnessed. Reply