There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
(12-26-2018, 01:20 PM)brotherbear Wrote: Who said that they are?
Post above ( 142 ) just to show not just my opinion; but at equal head-and-body length, I believe the brown bear to be over-all stronger than a big cat although the cat may be stronger in some areas. As for pulling a heavy carcass, this too is debatable. Both have been known to pull extraordinary weights. Big cats have a more flexible spine which may give them some advantage.
Big cats are hunters; professional killers. That's what they do. Brown bears are workers; spending long hours digging, ripping apart dead trees and stumps, over-turning logs and big rocks - exercise.
Some will ( and do ) argue that equal head-and-body length is an unfair method of comparison. If two prize-fighters were put into a boxing ring, each weighing 200 pounds, with one man standing 6 feet tall and the other man standing 5 feet tall, I would not consider this a fair fight. At equal height/length, the bear is heavier due to greater girth - just the way it is.
A big cat can probably lift or drag more comparable to his body weight, but does that make him stronger than the heavier bear?
I didn't said "bears are built for speed" either. I had the same kind of impression about bears. They're evolved for digging.
But just to let you know, not all bigcats are built for speed.
There are two kind of predators in the animal kingdom, "ambush predators" and "pursuit predators".
Tigers, leopards, jaguars and snow leopards, etc... comes under ambush predators. These are clearly not built for speed.
While lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, wolves, etc.. comes under pursuit predators. These are built for speed with long legs.
I don't know what bears are actually, I guess they're close to pursuit predators.
So, a tiger (just like smilodon) not built for speed.
Secondly, your sources doesn't prove anything about bear being stronger than bigcat at equal sizes. Both bigcats and bears have stronger bones than canids.
Thirdly, it took a lot of strength in neck and spine to pull heavier objects than themselves.
I had one question for you. What is the percentage of type I (slow twitch) muscle fibers in Brown bears as compared to tigers and lions?