Who would win a fight between a tiger and a bear?

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Inspired by the revival of the Monkey vs Horse thread, I felt I should share a long running debate I have with my old flatmates. Basically we have assumed the largest bear species against the largest tiger species, so polar against bengal maybe? (my sense of natural history is lacking).

As for setting, we agreed on a Roman style arena, though we could do Home and Away (not the soap) if you like. One of my flatmates was a history postgrad, and he found refence to the Romans conducting this fight, but no mention of the victor, and he never bothered researching further, the lazy man.

I say a bear, no contest. But a surprising number of people think a tiger. What do you say?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Sunday, 29 August 2004 12:01 (twenty-one years ago)

The tiger would have no chance, assuming you could persuade them into the fight in the first place. Polar bears have colossal strength, and could kill, or at least throughly stun, a tiger with one blow. The tiger is faster, but the bear also has lots of thick flesh, so even a well-timed and placed bite wouldn't be enough to disable it quickly.

An intelligent tiger using hit and run tactics in a jungle might have a remote chance, but even then I can't see how it could stop the polar bear, unless the heat does the job that is.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 29 August 2004 12:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Polar bears are not just strong, they are also incredibly fast for their size. I wouldn't be surprised that even with an environmental advantage, the tiger was still not quick enough to pull down the bear.

If this is truly in a Roman style arena it seems fair to allow each animal to pick a weapon and defensive shield to be used against each other. Barring modern weapons such as guns seems practical (really, nothing could touch a polar bear with a gun), but why not give the tiger a gladius and shield? With polar bears swimming, the bear seems like the sort to take the net and trident.

― Augustine (Augustine Bearse), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I say a bear, no contest.

― Harold Media (kenan), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:33 (twenty-one years ago)

(really, nothing could touch a polar bear with a gun)

The image alone...

― Jimmy Mod, Man About Towne (ModJ), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://members.aol.com/bigmessthr/tigpos.jpg

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, when militaries think about uses for animals, they pick dolphins as mine detectors/planters. Dolphins! If Bush would give guns to bears the war on terra would be over already.

What if the tiger wore armour a la Battlecat from He-Man? Anyway, I still find it rediculous that my friends continue to insist that tigers would win. (Actually, I haven't seen my old flatmates for a while, so maybe they've seen sense).

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

If Bush would give guns to bears the war on terra would be over already.

If Bush created an army of gun toting polar bears, we would soon all be kissing the asses of our majestic bear overlords.

― Augustine (Augustine Bearse), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:50 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.propstore.co.uk/images/products/234/batman-penguin1sml.jpg

― Jimmy Mod, Man About Towne (ModJ), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

But what if it were a ZOMBIE tiger? He might have a chance then, aye?

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

That would just rob a tiger of it's only advantage - speed. Everyone knows that zombies, while creepy, are slow as shit.

If it was a choice in an election between Bush and a polar bear-led military dictatorship, you'd have to choose the latter, no? 'Anyone but Bush'.

Does anyobody think tiger?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Sunday, 29 August 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

A polar bear with a gun would be exactly as scary as a polar bear, since it couldn't fire it with its paws.

Polar bears are fast, but not tiger fast - my point was that even if you gave the tiger a free first attack, I can't see what it could do to take the bear down. Unless it was smart enough to claw it blind first, maybe.

If the tiger gets Battlecat armour, does the polar bear get armour a la His Dark Materials? I love the armoured polar bears in that.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 29 August 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Iorek Byrnison vs. Richard Parker?

I say Iorek.

― Wooden (Wooden), Sunday, 29 August 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

THIS TIGER?

― Craig Gilchrist, Sunday, 29 August 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Hmm. That didn't work.
http://www.tigers-animal-actors.com/about/liger/ligerkrf.JPG

― Craig Gilchrist, Sunday, 29 August 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

That's a liger, an ungodly lion/tiger crossbreed. No kidding, I saw a documentry about it.

― Wooden (Wooden), Sunday, 29 August 2004 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

At the risk of being scientific, tigers attack their prey almost exclusively by leaping onto their backs and snapping their necks with a powerful bite. Polar bears who attack larger sized prey on land generally run at them (they can sprint very fast), bowl them over with their superior mass, after which they can either bite, crush or swat them with their powerful forelegs and claws.

The chances that a tiger and polar bear could be persuaded to fight in real life are practically nil, even if you put them into an arena and goaded them. But, should you succeed at forcing a fight, the polar bear would win 98 times out of 100, IMO. The tiger would be outweighed by a good 400 lbs.

― Aimless The Unlogged, Sunday, 29 August 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

What if they met, sized each other up and then, you know, started giving the ol' come hither look?

― Kim (Kim), Sunday, 29 August 2004 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Probably just a movie and dinner. I don't think it would work out.

― jim wentworth (wench), Monday, 30 August 2004 04:55 (twenty-one years ago)

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