One response to “Beast Fight : Who would win? and why?”

1. 

   Leolupus June 4th, 2009 at 10:56

   Liger vs. polar bear - my money's on the liger. Though the bear can weigh more, most of its weight comes from its large, heavy skeleton and considerable amount of body-fat. By contrast, the feline skeleton is quite small given the size of the animal, and its body-fat is minimal - most of its weight comes from its enormous musculature. Tigers and lions, the parents of the liger, have evolved to hunt prey considerably larger than they are - they have to be immensely strong in order to bring down animals like buffalo - and ligers are larger than either of their parents. Cats are swifter and more agile than bears, with quicker reflexes. They also have much larger canines, and the shortened muzzle and large sagittal crest on the skull gives them more powerful jaws. Not to mention their eighteen razor-sharp claws (bears' claws are non-retractile, and therefore blunt from constant contact with the ground). Though the polar bear is the most carnivorous of the bears, its main prey, seals, are smaller than it is, meaning it does not require as much strength to kill them as tigers or lions do to kill their prey (qualities they would pass on to the liger).

   Hippopotamus vs. Kodiak bear - hippo wins. Its massive jaws and huge teeth mean one good bite would finish the bear.

   Spanish fighting bull vs. black rhino - rhino wins. It's a bigger and stronger animal.

   Barbary lion vs. Bengal tiger - could go either way. There are numerous records of fights between lions and tigers, since many people in the past have wanted the answer to this question and tried to settle it by cruelly pitting tigers and lions against each other. In some cases the tiger wins, in some cases the lion. The outcome of such a fight depends on the individuals involved - their age, size, sex, health, experience, temperament, etc. Tigers are generally larger and stronger, but size and strength are not the only determining factors - a large but timid tiger would be likely to lose to a small but aggressive lion, even though it was stronger. Lions usually have more fighting experience - they often clash with other prides, whereas tigers tend to avoid conflict whenever possible. Also, the lion's mane (provided it is a male, of course) would offer some degree of protection against a fatal throat-bite. It wouldn't make the killing bite impossible by any means, but it would certainly make it more difficult to achieve and hold.

   Mountain gorilla vs. American black bear - bear wins. It has larger canines and stronger jaws, plus long claws and a more aggressive nature.

   Spotted hyena vs. grey wolf - this could go either way. Both reach similar weights - 175lb for the wolf and 155lb for the hyena (though there are reports of exceptionally large female spotted hyenas reaching 200lb). The wolf is swifter and more agile, but the hyena has extremely powerful jaws. I think the outcome would depend on the particular individuals involved.

   Cougar vs. leopard - this could go either way. Cougars can actually reach slightly greater weights than leopards - 230lb as opposed to 200lb - but this would not necessarily seal the victory. Both have large canine teeth and eighteen razor-sharp claws, and are very agile. I think the outcome would depend on the individuals involved, their age, sex, health, experience and so on.

   Cheetah vs. red kangaroo - red kangaroo wins. It's bigger and stronger, and could disembowel the cheetah with one good kick to the stomach area. Cheetahs are very fast over short distances, but they are slender and lightly-built, and do not have the strength to stand up to an animal the size of a red kangaroo.

   Golden jackal vs. dingo vs. coyote vs. Pit Bull vs. maned wolf vs. Ethiopian wolf vs. dhole vs. African wild dog vs. striped hyena - striped hyena wins. It's the largest and strongest contender, and has the advantage of its powerful jaws.

   Wild boar vs. wolverine - wild boar wins. It's a strong, intelligent and aggressive animal capable of causing serious wounds with its tusks.

   Serval vs. caracal - another close match, but I think the caracal has the edge. They are very strong for their size, able to kill prey as large as bushbuck, whilst servals generally hunt small prey such as rodents.

   Tasmanian devil vs. honey badger - honey badger wins. Both are very aggressive, but the badger is larger and stronger.

   Fossa vs. jaguarundi - fossa wins. It's bigger and stronger.

   King cobra vs. eastern diamondback rattlesnake - it's likely that the victor would simply be whichever got the first bite in. Rattlesnakes have longer fangs, so could do more damage with their teeth, but both are highly venomous and the king cobra feeds on other snakes, so would be used to dealing with them. It is also the longest venomous snake in the world. However, it is not the most venomous snake, the inland taipan or fierce snake is.

   Saltwater crocodile vs. green anaconda - crocodile wins. One bite and it's goodnight Vienna for the snake. The only way the anaconda might triumph is if it took the croc by surprise and managed to coil around its neck, keeping itself out of reach of the croc's jaws until it had suffocated.

   Slender giant moray vs. yellow sea snake vs. barracuda - I assume you meant the yellow-bellied sea snake? This animal is highly venomous, but unlike the fish it must come to the surface periodically in order to breathe, which is something of a disadvantage. Both the fish are large and armed with ferocious teeth, and it's possible a bite could kill the snake even if it had already bitten and injected venom - I suppose this would constitute a draw. Really, the outcome depends on the individuals involved and who bites whom first, and in what area.

   Great white shark vs. killer whale - the killer whale would probably win, being stronger and more intelligent, although the shark is swifter and could triumph if it got a large bite in early on, particularly as it would not have to worry about surfacing to breathe as the whale would.

   Harpy eagle vs. Andean condor - this would probably depend on the particular individuals involved. The condor is heavier, but the eagle more agile.

   Philippine eagle vs. Eurasian black vulture - again, could probably go either way. Both are large and powerful birds.

   EDIT: Darius, why say my answer is 'stupid' and then copy it word for word? Saltwater crocs are certainly not part of the anaconda's diet - the two live on different continents. Anacondas do prey on caiman, which are crocodilians, but they are MUCH smaller than the saltie.