That Natalie Wolchover! She sucked me in again!
Wolchover writes “Life’s Little Mysteries” for huffpo and, well, she and I have pretty much the same taste in mysteries.
Today it’s Lion vs. Tiger — who would win?
Offhand mentions in the historical record imply that tigers usually came out on top in ancient Rome, and modern fights in captivity typically go that way, too — but not every time. Lions and tigers each have their strengths, and “the outcome of a given fight completely depends on the individuals: their history, fighting style and physiology,” said Craig Saffoe, a biologist and the curator of great cats at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, D.C.
I was talking to a former big-cat trainer a few months ago — I really was — and he said lions are easier to train than tigers. Not because they’re gentler or more tractable. It’s because they live in social groups (tigers are loners) and therefore they are used to having facial expressions. You can tell when a lion is mad at you, but the tiger won’t give you a sign until you’ve pushed one too many buttons.
So remember that the next time you’re in a room with a lion and a tiger.