It seems like a silly question does it not? A Wolf agianst the power of a Tiger and a Lion; yet everyday I am combated by people who believe that a Wolf has the ability to defeat a Lion and a Tiger in a one on one fight.
So tell me, if it was Wolf vs. Tiger, and Wolf vs. Lion, who would win in both situations? What are your opinions on this matter?
The wolf would be giving up a several hundred pounds in weight advantage to either of those adversaries, both of whom can run just as fast. A pack of wolves could run off a lion or tiger, but a single wolf against a single lion or tiger? Not a chance – the wolf would be dead in seconds.
A wolf’s strength lies in his endurance and ability to work as a pack, usually against foraging (read: non-carnivorous) prey. Smart money would be on the tiger or lion to make quick work of a relatively undersized wolf.
But the bat would destroy them all… if it’s prepared.
All three are apex predators - they are not preyed on by other animals. However, both lions and tigers are considerably larger in size. Wolves are primarily pack hunters, which doesn’t make them poor fighters but does affect their typical hunting strategy. Lions and tigers typically work more lone kills, though share results.
I wouldn’t count out a lucky shot by a wolf, but on average the big cat is going to tear up the wolf.
The only way that the wolf could survive would be to run away faster than the lion or tiger could chase it. Given that big cats have longer legs and have evolved to be good at chasing prey running away from them, I don’t think even this tactic would work.
If by “prepared” you mean “rabid.” And patient.
The wolf loses, or more likely, runs away. The wolf has no ability to cause serious harm to another predator larger than itself, by itself. Even with something like an elk, a solitary wolf is unlikely to score a kill unless it could injure a running animal. Even in a pack, where the wolves will cooperate, and are far more intelligent than lions and tigers, they are unlikely to win. Packs of hyenas routinely harass lionesses, but stay clear of the lions who can break their backs with a single swat.
This is a story about an even more bizarre matchup, a lion vs. 42 midgets. It would be difficult to gauge the intelligence level of midgets who fight a lion, but they lost.
At the top of the midget link:
Sorry, I was rushed there. I have wanted to know if this was a true story since I first heard it. Thanks for pointing that out, and sorry for posting on the run.
ETA: Here is the wiki about that article. I first heard it on Howard Stern as mentioned there. At the time, there was no info on the nets about it.
That story is a fake, as the message at the top says – as far as I know, no team of 42 Cambodians of any size has ever tried to fight a lion.
As noted. I wonder if a different number of Cambodians ever tried 
If you took a pack of wolves with the same total mass as a single lion or tiger, and put them in a cage match where escape was not an option, two species enter, one species leaves, then I’d bet on the wolves winning. They’d have major casualties, though.
If this were in the wild, then the wolf would almost certainly try to escape. Whether it would succeed or not would depend on how much of a head start it had. Wolves, like humans, are good at maintaining speed over very long distances/times, but cats tend to be sprinters (the cheetah, of course, being the extreme example). If the wolf manages to keep ahead long enough to outlast the sprint, it’ll escape. If it doesn’t, it’s lunch.
A wolf versus a tiger and a lion? No chance. A wolf versus a tiger, and then afterwards, a lion? Also doubtful. A wolf versus a lion by itself or a tiger by itself - possible, but that’s not what the OP asked for.
An 80 lb wolf, on its best day, with the drop on either the lion or the tiger, could probably inflict some damage to the big kitty right away, but probably only enough to piss the cat off. The 400-500 lb cat would snap the doggy’s spine like a twig if the wolf was dumb enough to stand its ground. The question of the wolf besting a tiger and then taking a run at a lion isn’t even worth asking.
Now, if you put a similarly sized cat into the equation against the wolf, like a cougar, now you’ve got yourself a pretty fair fight, although I’d probably put my money on the wolf. Chances are, a cougar would take the better part of valour route and run up the nearest tree until the wolf got bored and left.
This is an everyday argument for you?
Some people’s lives are more interesting than others;)
Oh and for the record, no chance for the wolf…for the reasons others have stated. I’d like to see the pack of wolfs against a few lions or tigers though. I think the Discovery channel had a show where they simulated fights between different predators, this one would be awesome…
I’m guessing there’s some sort of role-playing game involved and the characters are either anthropomorphic animals or have animal familiars. Those people can argue about anything, and don’t ever stop.
What if the wolf was playing chess against the tiger?