# Who Would Win: A Bear or a Tiger? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 14, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006 "2016-11-14T21:57:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/1 "2016-11-14T21:57:04Z")
While watching the newest Jungle Book this past weekend, we got to the scene where Baloo and Shere Khan go at it. I commented “A bear would destroy a tiger if they fought IRL”, but I had to stop and think and now I don’t exactly know. So what do ya’ll think? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/2 "2016-11-14T21:59:32Z")
a bear on 2 feet can pick up a full grown steer and take its head off from the neck in one bite … so yeah go bears heh ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/3 "2016-11-14T22:02:08Z")
I don’t know but perhaps you’ll find some useful information (or not) in this thread: > **[Lion vs Bear who has won more in the past?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=661341)** > > Eh everybody, so being this was one of the biggest dual’s of earth’s top predator’s who do you think won more in the past, the Brute himself Bruin the Bear, or the King of the beast the Lion? Please only think of these as a hypotetical situation if... ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/4 "2016-11-14T22:11:37Z")
I would say a bear since a cat has the apx strength of a adult male, and the suggestion if attacked by a cat is to fight (expecting heavy damage). A bear’s strength is not opposable in human form. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/5 "2016-11-14T22:14:20Z")
If they fought in the same weight class, I might be inclined to go with the tiger. More of a killer instinct. You never hear of a hiker fending off a tiger attack by swatting it on the nose. I think Bears are kinda pussy, actually. I could be wrong. Been wrong before. I’m used to it. In fact, I can’t think of anyone who is wrong more often than myself. So, there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/6 "2016-11-14T22:39:41Z")
I’m gonna go with “the bear wins”. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/7 "2016-11-14T23:24:27Z")
Actually, it depends heavily on the **type** of bear. The following is from a few seconds on Google. (Note: the various reference websites are all over the scale, for some reason. I tried to pick the middle estimates.) Black bear (150-300 lbs) vs. tiger (220-675 lbs) = tiger wins handily. Polar bear (775-1,200 lbs) vs. tiger = probably depends on who wants it more, but on average, I’ll give a slight edge to the tiger. Grizzly bear (700-1,700 lbs) vs. tiger = probably the bear. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/8 "2016-11-14T23:30:28Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > While watching the newest Jungle Book this past weekend, we got to the scene where Baloo and Shere Khan go at it. > > I commented “A bear would destroy a tiger if they fought IRL”, but I had to stop and think and now I don’t exactly know. > > So what do ya’ll think? Since we’re talking about _The Jungle Book_, I think you’re over-confident in ol’ Baloo. The bear of _The Jungle Book_ is the Common Sloth Bear. It’s only a medium-sized bear of the Brown Bear family, and primarily a fruit and termite eater. Its claws are pretty nasty, since they’re optimized as diggers, and their bites can be pretty bad, but their mouths are still structured for termite-eating. The Tiger in question is the Bengal tiger. In this case, literally the king tiger of that region. Bengal tigers have been known to actually prey on sloth bears, although this is probably a specialist thing – specific individual tigers figuring out how to ambush-kill a sloth bear busy feeding. In terms of weight, the tiger wins – max recorded weights are about 420 pounds for the bear, but over 700 pounds for the tiger. The bear is aggressive towards any potential attacker to discourage receiving an attack, but if it comes to a stand-up fight, I say Shere Khan wins, even without the benefit of an ambush attack. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/9 "2016-11-14T23:38:19Z")
Tigers do not fight - they knock down prey and kill by a bite to the neck. Bears love to wrestle, claw and bite. If the tiger can’t take it down very quickly AND get its mouth over the bear’s neck, the fight goes to the bear. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/10 "2016-11-15T01:13:05Z")
how successful would a tiger be at getting through a bears fur and hide? Even if they got a magic kill shot would they be able to penetrate? Cause bears will shrug off an awful lot of small arms fire. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/11 "2016-11-15T01:16:35Z")
I voted: Winnie the Pooh would kick the shit outta Tiggr. 🙂 Bear, methinks. Because I think the biggest bear has more mass than the biggest tiger, and can use its arms to tackle and hold. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/12 "2016-11-15T01:40:05Z")
I recall reading somewhere - and cannot remember where - that the Romans quickly stopped pitting bears against lions in arena fights because it was such a mismatch in favor of the bear; the lions had thin skulls and the bears had tremendously powerful paw-swipe force, and the bears just bashed in the lion skulls in each time and dispatched their opponent thusly. Yes, I know, this thread is about tigers, not lions, but maybe the same principle applies. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/13 "2016-11-15T01:45:47Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I recall reading somewhere - and cannot remember where - that the Romans quickly stopped pitting bears against lions in arena fights because it was such a mismatch in favor of the bear; the lions had thin skulls and the bears had tremendously powerful paw-swipe force, and the bears just bashed in the lion skulls in each time and dispatched their opponent thusly. > > Yes, I know, this thread is about tigers, not lions, but maybe the same principle applies. _“Oh my!”_ ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/14 "2016-11-15T01:53:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I voted: Winnie the Pooh would kick the shit outta Tiggr. That may be true, but I’ll bet Tony could take Yogi any day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/15 "2016-11-15T03:10:15Z")
I went bear _ **BUT** _ — what kinda bear we talking about? Tiger against a PA black bear, tiger all the way. Now if we’re talking Kodiak Island griz or a Rocky Mountain griz even a Siberian tiger isn’t going to take one of those down especially in a cage match. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/16 "2016-11-15T13:17:16Z")
Siberian tigers [regularly eat bears](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_tiger#Interspecific_predatory_relationships), black and brown. They can take bears larger than themselves in ambush attacks (though usually hunt smaller bears), but adult brown bears also frequently intimidate or drive off tigers and take their kills. From the whole wiki section, I’d say that tigers can kill bears in ambush attacks, but in a straight forward fight adult bears would usually win. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/17 "2016-11-15T13:20:26Z")
Da bers. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/18 "2016-11-15T13:29:16Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > how successful would a tiger be at getting through a bears fur and hide? Even if they got a magic kill shot would they be able to penetrate? Cause bears will shrug off an awful lot of small arms fire. > [@Bullitt](#): > > I voted: Winnie the Pooh would kick the shit outta Tiggr. 🙂 > > Bear, methinks. Because I think the biggest bear has more mass than the biggest tiger, and can use its arms to tackle and hold. It’s basically these two principles as to why I thought bear would win. In the movie, Khan (Khaaaaaaannn!!!) ends up pinning Baloo and biting his neck. There’s a quick cut right afterwards, probably to tone down the violence and to make the audience think Baloo is dead, but my first thought was "Bears have A LOT of skin, fur and fat…pretty sure he could shrug that off. I would think a bear could just shoulder tackle a tiger, pin him down with his paws, and bash the ever-loving shit out of him. Lastly, FTR, I was thinking of the fight being between a Grizzly and a Siberian Tiger, but all forms of fight are welcome! ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/19 "2016-11-15T14:43:24Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Da bers. The Bears suck this year, so I’m going with the Bengals. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2016, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006/20 "2016-11-15T14:59:11Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > The Bears suck this year, so I’m going with the Bengals. _ **Is it Bears?** _ The Chicago Bears, football, have won 8 championships: 1932, 1933, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1946, 1963, and 1985 (Super Bowl XX). The Chicago Cubs, baseball, have won 3 championships: 1907, 1908, and 2016. _ **Or Tigers?** _ The Cincinnati Bengals, football, were an AFL expansion team in 1968 and have no championships in their team history. The Detroit Tigers, baseball, have won 4 championships: 1935, 1946, 1968, and 1984. Clearly, bears! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-would-win-a-bear-or-a-tiger/772006.md?page=2)