# A battle to the death of mammals **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 14, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117 "2018-12-14T13:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steven\_Estes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/1 "2018-12-14T13:19:28Z")
Say there’s a Wimbledon-style tournament of mammals fighting each other. A polar bear fights a lion and a tiger fights a gorilla, with the two survivors fighting. Which mammal would survive? ``` (Did I omit any possibly successful competitor?) I leave out elephant because the lumpy behemoth would probably just stand by smiling, unattacked, and unaggressive. ``` ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/2 "2018-12-14T13:34:43Z")
My money is on either the Orca or the Sperm Whale… > [@Steven\_Estes](#): > > ``` > I leave out elephant because the lumpy behemoth would probably just stand by smiling, unattacked, and unaggressive. > > ``` Elephants can be [very](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwqz1bH0L0) aggressive. Basically I’m arguing your 4 are arbitrary. Although of the 4, it’d be the Polar Bear. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/3 "2018-12-14T13:36:52Z")
Too many questions too make a reasonable guess. How do you factor in aquatic mammals? You want to tell the orka he’s not a mammal? How do you set up a fight between the land dwelling contender? Why not include the elephant? Elephants have been known to fight rhinos in the wild. Why not in your arena? It might be more fair to have equal weights of animals fighting. Say one hippo vs an equal tonnage of house cats. I’d pay a dollar to see that. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/4 "2018-12-14T13:41:19Z")
Define survive. With medical care most of the animals would likely succumb to their wounds sooner or later. In ancient Rome, they staged battles between between various animals or animals vs. humans. Given their meticulous record-keeping, I’m sure there are detailed accounts of the battles that I personally don’t care to read. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/5 "2018-12-14T13:42:27Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > How do you factor in aquatic mammals? The OP does have _one_ marine mammal in their match-up I’m not joking, polar bears are considered marine mammals. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Estes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/6 "2018-12-14T14:00:31Z")
1. I should have said LAND mammals. 2. Who knew a polar bear is considered a water mammal. Replace him with whichever other bear is most powerful. 3. The animal that wins the final bout may survive or may die from his injuries. Consider even the latter the winner, since he was the last to die. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/7 "2018-12-14T15:36:03Z")
Man wins, of course. I mean, is this even a question? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/8 "2018-12-14T15:50:25Z")
A big polar bear might go 2200# a big Tiger can weight 1100# a big lion maybe 700#. A large Kodiak bear I think goes up to about 1400#. I would put my money on the Kodiak vs a tiger but with even odds. A good fight would be between a kodiak and a polar bear but I doubt they would fight to the death. Two evenly matched animals seldom fight to the death but do often die later. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/9 "2018-12-14T16:08:51Z")
Since the experiments haven’t been done in a controlled manner, this is better suited to IMHO than General Questions. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/10 "2018-12-14T17:35:01Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Man wins, of course. I mean, is this even a question? :dubious: Not an unarmed man lol ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/11 "2018-12-14T21:01:27Z")
Hippo’s are considered the world’s deadliest animals. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/12 "2018-12-14T21:33:16Z")
Honey badger [don’t give a shit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg&t=35s), it just takes what it wants. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/13 "2018-12-14T21:44:49Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Hippo’s are considered the world’s deadliest animals. Nope. That honor goes to the mosquito. > **[What are the world's deadliest animals?](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-36320744.amp)** > > From the hippo to the fly, a look at some of the animal kingdom's deadliest killers. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/14 "2018-12-14T21:51:02Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Nope. That honor goes to the mosquito. > > [What are the world's deadliest animals? - BBC News](https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-36320744) The honor should be going to the pathogens the mosquito carries. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/15 "2018-12-14T21:56:59Z")
I found an account on google books of a battle that occurred in an arena in Vienna. The combatants were a lion, a tiger, a bear, a cow and her calf, and a horse. The lion and tiger went at each other first. The lion won, but it was a tough battle. The lion didn’t seem to know what to do with the bear next, but after a bit of confusion, the lion (still tired after its battle with the tiger) dispatched the bear fairly easily. The cow put up a surprisingly strong fight once its calf was threatened, but the lion still won. The horse turned around and kicked the lion, knocking it away. The lion came in again at a slightly different angle, but the horse reacted the same, turning around and kicking the lion with its back legs. Apparently a horse kick to the head is enough to kill a lion, because the second blow was fatal. I wouldn’t have expected the horse to be the ultimate winner, but there you go. Google book link for those who want the entire play-by-play: > **[Sir Thomas Lawrence's Letter-bag](https://books.google.com/books?dq=sir%2Bthomas%2Blion%2Bbear%2Btiger&ei=pszsUvakOsPpoASwy4LwBA&hl=en&id=f5NAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA281&sa=X&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=sir%20thomas%20lion%20bear%20tiger&f=false)** ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/16 "2018-12-18T07:30:39Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > The honor should be going to the pathogens the mosquito carries. Doesn’t qualify as an animal. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/17 "2018-12-18T07:44:31Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The lion didn’t seem to know what to do with the bear next, but after a bit of confusion, the lion (still tired after its battle with the tiger) dispatched the bear fairly easily. Would love to know what kind of bear. Other[lion-tiger matchups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_the_Barbary_lion_versus_the_Bengal_tiger_of_Simla) have gone the other way, although the victor’s follow-up match with a grizzly doesn’t seem to be documented. Although even a[frigging ant-eating sloth bear](https://nypost.com/2018/03/02/tiger-and-bear-fight-and-the-winner-is/) _can_ see off a tiger ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-battle-to-the-death-of-mammals/826117/18 "2018-12-18T20:48:02Z")
> [@AngelSoft](#): > > Not an unarmed man lol Yeah huh! He could learn to shoot with his feet!