The tiger is the largest of the cats and is a perfect killing machine with a superior combination of power, cunning and agility. On the other hand, A lion has an appearance to frighten even the mightiest of animals. There have been some real fights between the two kings of the jungle. So, what do the evidences and experts (and common sense) say about who will win a fight between the two, or rather, if there are 100 tiger-lion fights which one will have more victories?

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The image below gives a vivid comparison of apparent and actual size of these felines. The image is self-explanatory. There are some links to video in this post where, when a lion stands near a tiger, you can have a good comparative view that conforms with the image here. The videos and this image clearly explain why a lion looks bigger even though an average Bengal tiger is actually bigger than an average African lion. The tiger being shown here is most probably an IndoChinese one (going by the color and stripes). Bengal/Siberian tigers are even bigger.

Another size comparison image, taken from National Geographic:

This image compares a 6′ man with a lion (without the mane), a Bengal tiger and a Siberian tiger. Even though it is from National Geographic, I’d say it definitely exaggerates the size of the Siberian tiger!

Here are more size comparisons from National Geographic (clock-wise from top-left: Polar Bear, Brown Bear, Black Bear and Grizzly). Notice that, Grizzly bear has been considered as separate from Brown bear and the Grizzly and Black Bear images are actually the same!

If these size comparisons from National Geographic are to be believed, even a Grizzly doesn’t stand a chance against a Siberian tiger, let alone an African lion!

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THE KING OF BEASTS:

Lion is known to be the King of Beasts across most cultures of the world. This is mostly because of a lion’s appearance and partly because of the social structure of a pride and the lion’s role in the pride. A lion does possess a royal look and attitude. Add to that a tremendous roar that can be heard over miles on the Savannah. Also, living in a pride, a lion doesn’t need to hide itself or avoid any other animals including human beings. A lions lives in the open and controls its territory like a true king, sporting a ‘kingly’ mane and heading a pride that feeds him. The Bible of the Christians and the Geeta of the Hindus both mention the lion as the king of the beasts. So it has got accepted as a sign of royalty all over the world from as early as the Roman empire. Have a look at this magnificent lion (Shambala zoo).

Vital Statistics:
[There are a lot of variation in the figures found online. I tried to collect them from reputed instituion and/or govt sources]

• Largest Lion in captivity: 806 lbs (366 kg)
• Largest Lion found in the wild: 702 lbs (318 kg) and 11′ (3.35 m)
• Average size (mode) of African Lion: 410 lbs (186 kg) and 8’10″ (2.7 m)
• ** Lions stand around 1.15m (including mane) at shoulder as opposed to 1m of a tiger **

The King of The Kings:
When you think of a lion, you think of an African lion. The Asiatic ones are somewhat smaller in size and relatively unknown living in the tiger country. There is no significant variation in size among the African lions. In some online forums it is claimed that Ngorongoro Crater lions are the largest sub-specis of lions. But there is no base to that claim.. The Tsavo lions are generally considered more aggressive, but they are naturally maneless.
Choice: African lion (with mane).

Relative advantages over a tiger:

1. Thick protective mane. It also makes a lion look much bigger, heavier and taller than it really is. This is of immediate psychological disadvantage to any animal fighting a lion. It’s downright scary to see a lion coming towards you roaring. A lioness, even if it were of similar size, wouldn’t inspire as much awe. From the fight videos, it does seem that the mane is of huge advantage to the lion. In the only fight-video of a maneless (shaved) lion, the lion seemed too easy to beat by the tiger. The mane is the biggest weapon for a lion – both for defence and for scaring off the opponent.
2. More massively built shoulders. Both the cats have extremely powerful and muscular ‘shoulders’ and forelimbs.
3. Taller structure. This makes the lion more intimidating. Also, this somewhat compensates for the weaker hindquarters.
   Here’s a very good video showcasing lions.

________________________________________________ THE AMBUSH KILLER:

Living largely secretive life and attacking preys using stealth, cunning and agility, a tiger is mostly considered a villain (like Sher Khan in Kipling’s Jungle Book). Moreover, the man-eaters in India have further maligned the image of a tiger. Not much is still known about the lives of the tigers in the wild and hence a lot of the information considered as ‘facts’ about tigers are merely informed guesses. Since the chance of encountering a tiger in the wild is way less than the chance of encountering a wild lion, a lot of data about tigers reflect either only a small population of them, or are based on indirect studies, or both. Also, a tiger’s unwillingness to fight without necessity has often been seen as lack of courage and aggression. Look at these majestic Bengal tigers.

Vital Statistics:
[There are a lot of variation in the figures found online. I tried to collect them from reputed instituion and/or govt sources]

Entering the English language in the late 19th century, the word safari means “long journey” in Swahili. Originally from the Arabic سفرة (safar) meaning a journey  The verb for “to travel” in Swahili is “kusafiri”, the noun for the journey is “safari”. These words are used for any type of journey, e.g. by bus from Nairobi to Mombasa. The person generally attributed to having used the word in English is Sir Richard Francis Burton, the famous explorer.

The Regimental March of the King’s African Rifles was ‘Funga Safari’, literally ‘Halt the March’, or, in other words, stop work for the day.

Funga safari, funga safari. Funga safari, funga safari. Hamari ya nani? Hamari ya nani? Hamari ya Bwana Kapteni, Hamari ya keyaa.

Which is, in English:

Halt the march. Halt the march. On whose orders? On whose orders? On the order of the boss captain, On the order of the KAR.

On Kenya’s independence from Britain, Funga Safari was retained as the Regimental March of the Kenya Rifles, successor to the K.A.R.

Earth’s flora and fauna are disappearing 1,000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, but only nine percent of kids gave a top priority to protecting the planet’s animal life.

Many did not even know what is meant by “endangered species,” reported the survey, released by the UN Convention on Biodiversity.

“The survey confirms the alarming disconnect of our children with nature,” the Convention’s Executive Secretary, Ahmed Djoghlaf, said in a statement.

He called for “urgent action to close this growing gap between tomorrow’s citizens and their natural heritage.”

Sponsored by European aircraft giant Airbus, the survey was conducted among 10,000 five-to-18 year olds in 10 countries.

When asked which type of animal or plant they would most like to save, nine percent cited birds, 23 percent favoured reptiles, and 50 percent gave mammals top priority, with the snow leopard given as an example.

As images of lifeless black-slicked birds and limp sea turtles begin to flood the media, it is becoming apparent just how catastrophic the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is becoming. No one can predict how long it will continue and just how devastating this disaster might prove to be.

One thing is clear: The fragile ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico are at great risk. Adding to the tragedy is that this is an incredibly vital area for countless numbers of species that come for refuge to this specific stretch of the country to breed, nest, spawn, feed, and rest during migration. Peak migration and breeding times are late-April through mid-May. It really could not be worse timing.

As noted in The New York Times, “even the frantic preparations to protect the most vulnerable coastlines likely will not prevent devastating harm to key species as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hits shore at the worst possible time for migration and breeding.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the oil spill could affect up to 20 national wildlife refuges, and four covering more than 70,000 acres are in immediate concern.

Which animals are most threatened by this nightmare of an environmental disaster? Here is a round-up of some of those most in peril.

Brown Pelicans
The brown pelican has not had an easy time of it. The gracefully gangling birds were only removed from the endangered species list last year, and there is a major population, around 34,000 of them, currently nesting in the Gulf at the Breton National Wildlife

Diving birds are very susceptible to oil spills because they come into direct contact with the oil. A bird’s feathers overlap to trap air and provide the bird with warmth and buoyancy.

Birds that come in contact with an oil slick may get oil on their feathers and lose their ability to stay waterproof, they may ingest oil while trying to clean their feathers or when they try to eat contaminated food, and they may suffer long-term reproductive effects.

Brown pelicans were once the victims of hunters seeking feathers for millinery — which led to the birth of the National Wildlife Refuge System more than 100 years ago when President Theodore Roosevelt created the first refuge at Pelican Island in Florida.

In 1970, brown pelicans were officially declared an endangered species when their population was decimated by the use of DDT.

Sea Turtles
Of the seven remaining species of sea turtles known today, five of those species are in the Gulf. The oil spill area is one of the only foraging grounds for the most endangered species of the bunch, the Kemp’s ridley turtle, which is in its peak nesting season.

One of its two primary migration routes runs south of Mississippi. Loggerhead turtles, also endangered, feed in the warm waters in the Gulf between May and October.

The seven species that can be found today have been around for 120 million years (longer than the dinosaurs) — and many of these species live up to 80 years.

Dolphins
Several dolphin species routinely inhabit the northern Gulf, and already 12 bottlenose dolphins have been found dead due to the the oil spill, reports Yahoo! News.

When marine mammals come to the surface to breathe, they may inhale hydrocarbon vapors that can result in lung injuries; oil that comes in contact with the animals’ sensitive mucous membranes and eyes may produce irritations.

Young cetaceans may be injured due to ingestion of oil from contaminated teats when nursing; and there may be long-term chronic effects as a result of migration through oil-contaminated waters.

Shellfish And Crabs
According to The New York Times, the delta estuary is also the breeding ground for a lot of shellfish and crabs, says LuAnn White, director of Tulane University’s Center for Applied Environmental Public Health. “All of those are at risk for being damaged,” she said. “That estuary area is responsible for the breeding for about 40 percent of the aquatic life that’s in the Gulf,

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