Post by A.G. on Sept 9, 2008 1:09:48 GMT -5
OK, been back on my Big Cats fix for a while now. And... some kick ass desktops in the process. If any of you is a lion/tiger fan, let me know. I'll hook you up.
Anyway, a lion's mane. It's not really a shield, as some think, to use in a fight. Though it can prove useful in getting in the way when an opponent is going for the throat. But the main purpose of the mane is to act in show. There are 2 ways. The first is for sexual attraction. Lions with longer and darker manes attract females far better than short and light-colored manes.
The second way is as an indimidation factor. This is the reason the tiger is usually very cautious around a lion in captivity. I also belive that had the two lived together in the wild the tiger would back down from a fight with a lion. The mane makes a lion look much bigger than he really is.
Below is a SCALED comparison of an African Lion and a Siberian Tiger. An average male lion is about 420-440 lbs. An average Siberian (and actually Bengal) tiger is about 470-500 lbs. So you got 50 to 60 lb difference. The tiger is a bigger cat. However, the lion appears to be bigger in the first photo. Why?
Keep in mind, they are scaled photos. But the lion is a bit taller at the shoulder than the tiger and he has a big mane. This actually makes the lion seem bigger than he really is. Paired with his insane willingness to fight (lions have been known to go 1 on 4 of it's own kind) the tiger will back down. Here is what the SAME scale would look like without the big mane:
The size difference is more vivid now. Amazing...
Anyway, a lion's mane. It's not really a shield, as some think, to use in a fight. Though it can prove useful in getting in the way when an opponent is going for the throat. But the main purpose of the mane is to act in show. There are 2 ways. The first is for sexual attraction. Lions with longer and darker manes attract females far better than short and light-colored manes.
The second way is as an indimidation factor. This is the reason the tiger is usually very cautious around a lion in captivity. I also belive that had the two lived together in the wild the tiger would back down from a fight with a lion. The mane makes a lion look much bigger than he really is.
Below is a SCALED comparison of an African Lion and a Siberian Tiger. An average male lion is about 420-440 lbs. An average Siberian (and actually Bengal) tiger is about 470-500 lbs. So you got 50 to 60 lb difference. The tiger is a bigger cat. However, the lion appears to be bigger in the first photo. Why?
Keep in mind, they are scaled photos. But the lion is a bit taller at the shoulder than the tiger and he has a big mane. This actually makes the lion seem bigger than he really is. Paired with his insane willingness to fight (lions have been known to go 1 on 4 of it's own kind) the tiger will back down. Here is what the SAME scale would look like without the big mane:
The size difference is more vivid now. Amazing...
