There are two predators in nature with which people are compared, saying that they are powerful, like a lion or a bear. These are magnificent animals that are kings of their habitats. In fact, no one knows who is stronger - a bear or a lion. One lives in taiga forests, the other in savannas, and meeting them in the wild is extremely unlikely, even impossible. Let's look at these animals separately and figure out which of them is endowed with greater physical strength.
Where does the brown bear live?
In Russia, this bear is distributed in almost all forests. They live in dense vegetation with windbreaks, deciduous trees and many shrubs. It can also go out into the tundra and thrive in high mountain forests.
A meeting between a person and a bear is possible; many of them end in disaster for the bear if it encounters a hunter. If an ordinary mushroom picker or forester comes into the sight of the owner of these places, then there is an opportunity to disperse peacefully, without bloodshed. Under no circumstances should you run from the beast, it will still be faster, but it is better to quietly move back, backing away and not turning away from the predator.
When you find yourself in places where brown bears live, you should talk loudly and make noise. Although these are large animals, they are very cautious, and the owner of the forest would prefer to avoid meeting people.
Puma
When facing a cougar, the bear will use its larger size and considerable strength to intimidate the cat into killing it. However, the cougar can growl and stand still, during which it uses its superior agility and claws to harass the bear while remaining well out of its reach until one of them gives up in battle. Cougars also pose a danger to bear cubs.
Lion habitats
Lions are distributed on two continents: Africa and the Asian part of Eurasia. Many prides live in India (Gir forest), and in Africa they are found mainly in the southwest. They inhabit savannas, sometimes venturing into forests or dense bushes. Previously, these big cats lived almost throughout the entire territory of our planet, but people exterminated them and contributed to extinction in certain areas due to environmental disturbances.
When meeting a person, a lion will show curiosity rather than aggression. People are not of interest to this cat as food. If the person himself begins to throw different things and wave his arms, then the lion, of course, will defend himself, and the instigator of the quarrel will not be able to escape. In most cases, a lion will avoid getting to know a person closely and, sensing his scent from afar, will disappear in another direction.
Brown bear mass
The largest representatives of this species of bear live in the territories of Kamchatka and Alaska. In the autumn, adults can weigh more than half a ton, and there are also bears that reach eight hundred kilograms. Smaller predators live in the middle zone of our country; they weigh from 80 to 180 kilograms.
If the bear stands up to its full height, it will be much taller than a large person. Its size can be more than two meters. His height at the withers, when he stands on all four legs, will be about a meter.
The largest is considered to be an inhabitant of the Berlin Zoo, which was brought from Kodiak. The mass of a brown bear is more than 1130 kilograms! This giant feels great outside of freedom, gets along well with zoo workers, and gladly shows off his beautiful appearance to visitors.
Sees the goal - does not see obstacles
A useful skill of bears - tree climbing - can help him escape from a formidable and dexterous predator.
However, for the wrong choice of tree, the clubfoot can pay with his life. — The generally accepted opinion that a tiger cannot move through trees is erroneous. If he really wants to, he can. The tree, however, must have branches and be large enough to support it. If the bear chooses the wrong tree, the tiger can pull it down from there. There are unique cases when a bear chooses a tree with soft wood for rescue, for example, a fir, 20-30 centimeters in diameter, and the tiger, like a beaver, biting off little by little, brings its feast closer, because the bear falls along with the tree,” the general director shared the story. about the persistence of tigers.
Lion sizes
An adult lion rarely weighs more than two hundred and fifty kilograms. Males of these cats are 20% larger than females. The body length, not including the tail, reaches three meters; it is very rare to come across lions whose size is less than two and a half meters.
But height and weight are not the main indicators of who is stronger - a bear or a lion. It is necessary to compare the force of their blow, the size of their claws and teeth.
Bear's punching power
An adult bear is very strong. He can easily break the backbone of a large cow with a blow of one paw, and tear it to shreds with non-retractable claws. The bear's claws do not retract, so it will not be possible to hide from them if he suddenly decides to wave his paw. If you measure the impact force in kilograms, you will be surprised, it averages one and a half tons! With one blow, this beast can throw a large animal weighing one hundred and fifty kilograms fifteen meters away. The bear prefers to “hugg” its prey until its bones crunch. No one has ever survived such a compression.
The bear's claws are long and powerful. In an adult male they can be from eight to ten centimeters. With these “knives” an angry predator can tear off the bark from a two-hundred-year-old tree or break dry things into splinters.
The bear's teeth are also huge, the fangs are ten centimeters long, but the animal uses them mainly for tearing food apart, and not for catching it. A bear can bite, its jaws clenching with a force of eighty atmospheres, which is much stronger than that of the most vicious fighting dog.
Labor made a man out of a monkey, and a killer out of a tiger.
— The tiger is a pure predator, a born killer, phenomenal.
His nature created him to be the pinnacle of solitary predator creation. If a person is developed by work, then animals are developed by hunting. The more difficult the hunt, the smarter the animal. The tiger's intelligence is quite high, its body is prepared for killing, it is a perfect predator. If we take bears, then the stupidest one is the polar bear. “He has rather primitive hunting behavior and a dull landscape,” noted the center’s general director. Therefore, the physically developed Himalayan bear, which has long ago moved away from predation to plant food, chooses rivals who cannot fight back. In all known fights between him and the tiger, the latter wins. There are even tigers that “specialize” in Himalayan bears; for some, bears make up up to 5% of their annual diet, said Sergei Aramilev.
Lion's punching power
So who is stronger - a bear or a lion? We have looked at the strength of the bear, now let's study the lion.
If a cat with a mane wants to hit you with its paw, then at least half a ton of weight will fall on you. This would be enough to break the legs of a buffalo or the back of an antelope.
The lion's claws are shorter than those of the bear; they reach seven centimeters in length. This weapon is very dangerous and is the main thing for capturing the victim, but not for killing him. With its claws, the lion firmly holds future food or fights with enemies; they are retracted and released at his will.
Its eight-centimeter sharp teeth help the lion kill its prey. It is impossible to free yourself from the grip of a huge cat, as the jaws are compressed with a force of 160 atmospheres! This is twice the force of a bear's teeth.
Lion beast
One of the largest predators in the animal world is the lion. The King of Beasts - that’s what he’s rightfully called; there really is something royal in his appearance and habits. What is his voice worth, especially if you hear the lion’s roar in the silence of the night! You can hear this “royal” roar even 7-8 km away.
The male African lion reaches 2.5-3 meters in length, the average weight of such a handsome lion is 150 - 170 kg, although there are surprising exceptions. In 1936, hunters killed a lion that weighed 310 kg, but such males are very rare. The lion's strike has a crushing force, which is facilitated by the large weight of the animal.
In a fight with an enemy, a lion has an advantage in its mobility and resourcefulness; it can easily dodge paw blows and fang bites, while at the same time managing to strike back. The animal's body is strong, flexible and muscular, it runs and jumps well. Like every representative of the feline family, the lion has well-developed muscles of the forelimbs and neck. The jaws of the beast with huge powerful fangs are capable of holding even a wildebeest, so strong is the grip of this king of beasts.
Lion and bear: who is faster?
In order to compare the strength of predators, you will need knowledge of the speed limits of the competitors.
Lions in the wild can reach speeds of up to eighty kilometers per hour. They easily catch nimble antelopes, maneuvering remarkably well. Its flexible body and long tail help it jump up to three meters, which is an important hunting skill.
Also, lions are not the toughest of animals. They have a very small heart compared to their body weight and size, so they cannot maintain high speed for a long time. It is not uncommon to see an adult lion walking slowly after a failed hunt. Other cats that do not catch the prey the first time try again immediately. And a lion needs to rest in order to regain strength, even if the prey is very close.
Bears, unlike a lion, are not so fast, but still do not confirm the prevailing opinion about their slowness. The heavy predator reaches speeds of up to fifty-five kilometers per hour, and can maintain it for a long time. Bears, although clumsy, are very stubborn. If he has identified a victim, then he will chase it for several kilometers over a long period of time. That is why, when meeting the brown owner of the forest, do not attempt to escape. The bear will not stop, and you will get tired much faster than him.
Let's sum it up
So, now you can compare who is stronger - a bear or a lion. We have learned everything we need about these animals and can draw conclusions on this basis.
The lion wins with its jaw strength and agility, but it is unlikely that it will have time to grab the bear with its teeth if they suddenly meet. The huge enemy is capable of killing a big cat with just one blow with his powerful paw, and he himself can withstand its attack. The skin of a bear is very difficult to penetrate even with the claws of a lion, so the king of the savannas will need to manage to hit him several times in the same place.
Bears are still clumsy animals, and if a lion rushes unexpectedly, then the clubfoot most likely will have no chance to avoid the cat’s jaws clenching on itself. But again he still has a chance of survival. We have already written about the deadly hugs of bears, so he will be able to crush a rushing cat.
If we compare physical strength, the bear wins. But we did not consider the mental abilities of these predators. And in this regard, the lion will be the winner; he is much smarter than the taiga inhabitant.
Who is stronger, a bear or a tiger?
Although the distribution range of these two animals does not always coincide, I wonder what will happen if they meet in a fight?
So, first, let's take the strongest representatives of the polar bear and the Amur tiger.
The advantages of the polar bear are obvious: it is very large and has strong bones. In addition, he has sufficient impact force (about 1.5 tons), which indicates good muscle mass. The sharpness of the blow is also there, as is the speed. The average weight of a polar bear reaches 450 kg, which is two times more than that of a tiger. The height at the withers of a polar bear is up to 130-150 cm, this is not much more than the Amur tiger, whose average height at the withers is up to 120 cm.
Scientists claim that the force of the bear's blow is so crushing that it can take the life of a tiger instantly, breaking its back.
The tiger's only chance is a bite in the throat, which seems illusory. You need to wrap your arms around such a huge neck. And the neck of large bears is perfectly protected by very strong muscles and all the arteries and trachea lie very deep.
Based on materials from zoologists, it is known that out of 44 cases of collision between a tiger and a brown bear, 50% of cases ended in the death of the bear, 27.3% in the death of the tiger, and in 22.7% of cases the animals separated. These data show that the tiger is stronger than the brown bear.
Famous naturalist Jim Corbett says that he himself has seen more than once how confidently and fearlessly Himalayan bears chased away tigers at the most crucial moment, when they were settling down to have a hearty lunch.
Not so long ago in India, during a safari, a fight between a tiger and a sloth bear was filmed. As naturalist Akshay Kumar said, the “battle” was started by a seven-year-old tiger named Matkasur. He attacked a female sloth whale and her cub who came to a watering hole.
“The tiger attacked the bear for more than five minutes. He followed her, and she, in order to protect the cub, rushed at him,” Kumar said.
The she-bear, protecting her offspring, was forced to fight. The tiger knocked her down and pinned her to the ground, taking advantage of her superior strength. However, she managed to escape.
Both animals were injured but survived. The bear cub managed to escape unharmed.
Well, who is stronger, the tiger or the bear? With equal sizes, a tiger and a bear are almost equal in strength. (Even if a lion is included in this competition, the balance of the triangle of forces will not change.) The one who is braver, who is older and angrier will win. Young tigers and bears fight, of course, worse than seasoned males, full of strength and courage. It is also important who attacked first, who is full and who is hungry: a well-fed animal is not as bold and angry as a hungry one. It is important on whose land the fighters met: whoever is closer to home usually fights more fiercely. And rage is often stronger than strength.
At the same time, if one can still imagine the victory of a tiger over a bear of equal weight, then the chances against the largest bears are very small. Whether we take a Kodiak, Kamchatka giants, a grizzly bear or a polar bear.
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