Content
- Lion and Tiger Taxonomy
- Current lion subspecies:
- Current Tiger Subspecies:
- Lion vs Tiger: Physical Differences
- Who is stronger, the lion or the tiger?
- Lion and Tiger Habitat
- Lion and Tiger Behavior
- Conservation status of lions and tigers
While there is currently no place on the planet where lions and tigers naturally coexist, the reality is that throughout the history of life on Earth there have been episodes where both big cats coexisted in much of Asia.
Today, it's easy to know that there are lions in Africa and tigers in Asia, but what is the exact geographic distribution of each of these animals? If you want to find answers to these and other curious questions about differences between the lion and the tiger, in this PeritoAnimal article you will find a lot of useful information to discover. Keep reading!
Lion and Tiger Taxonomy
The lion and tiger share a common taxonomy, differing only at the species level. Therefore, both animals belong to:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Strings
- Class: Mammals
- Order: Carnivores
- Suborder: Feliforms
- Family: Felidae (cats)
- Subfamily: Pantherinae
- Gender: Panthera
From the genus Panthera is when the two species are differentiated: on the one hand, the lion (panthera leo) and, on the other hand, the tiger (tiger panther).
Also, within each of these two different feline species, there are a total of 6 lion subspecies and 6 tiger subspecies, according to its geographic distribution. Let's look at the common and scientific names of each of the lion and tiger subspecies that exist in the following list:
Current lion subspecies:
- Congo lion (Panthera leo azandica).
- Katanga Lion (Panthera leo bleyenberghi)
- lion-do-transvaal (panthera leo krugeri)
- Nubian Lion (Panthera leo nubica)
- Senegalese Lion (Panthera leo senegalensis)
- Asian or Persian lion (panthera leo persica)
Current Tiger Subspecies:
- Bengal tiger (panthera tigris tigris)
- Indochinese Tiger (panthera tigris corbetti)
- Malay Tiger (panthera tigris jacksoni)
- Sumatran tiger (panthera tigris sumatrae)
- Siberian tiger (Altaic Tigris Panthera)
- South China Tiger (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
Lion vs Tiger: Physical Differences
When it comes to differentiating these two big cats, it's interesting to point out that the tiger is bigger than the lion, weighing up to 250 kilos. The lion, in turn, reaches 180 kilos.
In addition orange streaked coat of tigers stands out from the yellow-brown fur of lions. The tigers' stripes, contrasting with their whitish bellies, follow a unique pattern in each specimen, and it is possible to identify different individual tigers according to the arrangement and color of their stripes. Surprising, isn't it?
Another big difference when comparing the lion vs tiger is a very striking feature of lions: the presence of a dense mane in adult males, it is identified as a key sexual dimorphism between males and females, something that does not exist in tigers. Males and females differ simply in size, as females are smaller than males.
Who is stronger, the lion or the tiger?
If we think about the proportional force in relation to the weight of these animals, the tiger could be considered the strongest compared to the lion. Paintings from Ancient Rome suggest that the duels between the two animals usually had the tiger as the winner. But the answer to this question is somewhat complex, since a lion is usually more aggressive than a tiger.
Lion and Tiger Habitat
the vast african savannas they are, without a doubt, the main habitat of lions. Currently, most lion populations are located in the east and south of the African continent, in the regions of Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Republic of South Africa and Botswana. However, these big cats are able to adapt to other habitats such as forests, jungles, thickets and even mountains (like some high altitude areas in mighty Kilimanjaro). Furthermore, although lions are virtually extinct outside of Africa, a population of just 500 lions still survives in a nature reserve in northwest India.
Tigers, on the other hand, find their unique natural habitat and exclusively in Asia. Whether in dense rainforests, forests or even open savannas, tigers find the environmental conditions they need to hunt and breed.
Lion and Tiger Behavior
The main characteristic of the lion's behavior, which distinguishes them even more from other cats, is its social personality and its tendency to live in group. This curious pattern of behavior is directly associated with the ability of lions to hunt in groups, following precise and coordinated attack strategies that allow them to take down large prey.
In addition cooperation of the lionesses in the care of their cubs is truly amazing. Females from the same group often tend to give birth in sync, allowing the puppies to be cared for as a community.
Tigers, on the other hand, hunt alone and exclusively solitary, opting for stealth, camouflage, and high-speed attacks on their prey. Also, compared to other cats, tigers are excellent swimmers, able to dive into rivers to surprise and hunt their prey in the water.
Conservation status of lions and tigers
According to current data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), lions are in a vulnerable state. Tigers, on the other hand, have a higher level of concern about their conservation, as their status is at extinction risk (EN).
Today, the majority of the world's tigers live in captivity, currently occupying about 7% of their previous range, leaving only 4,000 tigers in the wild. These drastic numbers suggest that, in a few decades, both lions and tigers are likely to survive only in protected areas.
And now that you've seen some characteristics and differences between the lion and the tiger, you might be interested in the following video where we present 10 wild animals from Africa:
If you want to read more articles similar to Differences between the lion and the tiger, we recommend that you enter our Curiosities section of the animal world.