Tigers and bears are both wild animals with an aggressive nature. Both look so much different to each other. The bears are heavy and doglike creatures while the tigers are smart, fast, and one of the most energetic animals in the wild. Many people want to compare these animals because they are completely opposite to each other. So, join us as we discuss bear vs tiger and compare them.
Basics About the Bears
Bears are members of the Ursidae family. They are classified as doglike carnivorans or caniforms. Currently, there are eight species of them found throughout the Earth. Their Conservation status ranges from vulnerable to least concern. Being a wild creature they have many unique features and characteristics. Research reveals that bears can smell anything up to 20 miles away.
Scientific Name
Bears belong to the Ursidae family while Pandas belong to the subfamily Ailuropodinae. The spectacled bears are the members of the subfamily Tremarctinae. All other species are members of the subfamily Ursinae. The interesting thing is that all species have different scientific names, they are:
- Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
- Brown Bear (Ursus arctos)
- North American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
- Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
- Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
- Panda Bear (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
- Sloth Bear (Ursus ursinus)
- Sun Bear (Ursus Himalayanus)
Appearance
The most noticeable thing about the bears is their furry bodies and their large, pointed, and strong claws. Some subspecies have distinctive markings around their eyes and some have them on their chest which makes them apart from others. They have rounded ears pointing upwards with pointed and sharp teeth.
Behavior
The bears have some distinctive features such as their sighting and smelling senses. They can see a human walking towards them from over a mile away and can smell them from over 20 miles away, as a result, they tend to flee away before humans arrive at their locations.
During the mating seasons, they tend to travel anywhere in pairs. Their cubs always travel alongside their mother to ensure their security. Still, bears have a solitary nature.
Size and Weight
On average a bear can be between 1.4 to 2 meters long. Their sizes heavily vary by the type of their species.
As far as their weight is concerned each species has different weights of their bodies. The weight according to their species are:
- Polar Bear 200 – 682 kg (440 – 1,500 lbs)
- Spectacled Bear 64 – 125 kg (140 – 275 lbs)
- Panda Bear 70 – 125 kg (155 – 275 lbs)
- Sloth Bear 55 – 141 kg (120 – 310 lbs)
- Sun Bear 22 – 50 kg (50 – 110 lbs)
- North American Black Bear 39-409 (86-900 lbs)
- Brown Bear: 93 – 410 kg (205 – 900 lbs)
- Asiatic Black Bear 93-410 kg (205-900 lbs)
Food
They are carnivorous but they can survive with anything. They also eat vegetables and plants, for example, bamboo is the favorite food of panda bears. North American bears tend to eat fish, elk, caribou, and salmon. The polar bears typically eat seals, whales, and walruses on oceans as their primary choices. The sloth bears prefer ants and termites as their surviving food.
Habitat
Mostly these bears tend to be in the canopy of dense forests. They are found in North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. None are found in Australia and Antarctica. These unique creatures climb up the tree whenever they feel a human’s presence nearby. American Black bears and Spectacled bears are found in desert climates. Most of the bears can adapt to any kind of condition but those who can’t are facing the threat of extinction as their habitats are continuously destroyed by humans.
Predators
The main predators of bears are bears themselves and humans. Some big-sized bears tend to attack and kill the small-sized bears in the wild. As far as humans are concerned, they hunt them to take their body parts, organs, and meat, they tend to sell these things in the black market. Human developments are concerning the bear population. Environmental change and deforestation are destroying their habitats and are creating more problems for their population.
Basics About Tigers
Tigers are members of the Felidae family along with cats, lynx, leopards, etc. They are called big cats because they are the largest cat species on Earth. They are considered the apex predators in the wild. They have a nocturnal nature meaning they become active at night times. There are nine species of tigers found throughout the world and history. 3 of them have gone extinct. The other 6 are either threatened or critically endangered.
Scientific Name
Tigers belong to the class Mammalia while their order is order Carnivora. They belong to the Felidae family and their genus is the genus Panthera. The scientific names of nine species of tigers are:
- Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica)
- Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris)
- Indo-Chinese tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti)
- South China tigers (Panthera tigris amoyensis)
- Malayan tigers (Panthera tigris jacksoni)
- Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae)
- Bali tigers (Panthera tigris basilica)
- Javan tigers (Panthera tigris sondaica)
- Caspian tigers (Panthera tigris virgata)
Appearance
Tigers are large, muscular, and energetic creatures of the wild. Their fur coat color varies by their species, some have bright orange while some have a yellowish-orange color of their fur coat. An interesting thing about their body is their stripes, every individual has a different pattern of the stripes. Their stripes can be narrow or broad depending on the species. They have upward pointed rounded ears and have long, pointed teeth. Their claws are sharp and long allowing them to rip through anything’s skin.
Behavior
They are aggressive creatures. They can attack and kill anything, and often they get aggressive when feel threatened or someone tries to hurt them. They can attain a top speed of 65 km per hour, so when you see a tiger outrunning them is not an option, you better flee away in the best possible way.
Size and Weight
On average tigers may measure between 6 and 10 feet long. Their size varies by the type of their species.
Their weight averages between 240 and 675 pounds. The Siberian tigers are the largest as well as the heaviest living tiger species. They measure around 10 feet long and their weight can get to 675 pounds.
Food
Tigers hunt at night times and most of the time they fail. Every species has its diet plan in the wild. But deer, water buffalo, antelope, etc are the common prey in every species’ diet. They can eat an average of 75 pounds of meat per evening. They only eat once a week which is strange for these muscular animals.
Habitat
Tigers are one of the very few animals that can live in any type of condition whether it’s topical hot or stinking cold. These animals are found worldwide but mostly are present in Asian regions like Bangladesh and India. Bengal tigers can in hot temperatures as their adaptation and abilities allow them while Siberian tigers tend to live in cold weather where there is a little bit of snow. Each species has its habitat.
Predators
Their main predators are humans. Their population is affected by the human development and hunting of them. Humans hunt them for their skin, teeth, and fur while some are captured for trade purposes. Deforestation and habitat loss are other major issues that tigers are facing. These human activities have brought a significant decline in the population of tigers. Other than that their cubs have predators like bears and wolves.
Conclusion
Now that you know the differences between a bear and a tiger. They are different animals whether its food appearance or behavior. The same thing between them is only their predator which is humans. Throughout history, humans have created several problems for them such as the destruction of habitat and hunting them.
FAQs
Polar Bear vs Tiger Who is Heavier?
The Polar bears are the heaviest bears weighing around 682 kg maximum while the heaviest tiger is the Siberian tiger which weighs around 306 kg maximum. So, bears are heavier than tigers.
Bear vs Tiger Who is More Aggressive?
Tigers may attack humans often and injure or may even kill them while bears attacking humans is rare. Bears rarely attack humans mostly when they feel threatened. That’s why by all accounts tigers are more aggressive than bears.
Sloth Bear vs Tiger Who Would Win a Fight?
If they both fight each other the tiger will have an edge and will win. Not easily though because bears are also a strong contender and its formidable claws can damage anything.
How Much Can a Tiger Eat?
A tiger can eat around 75 pounds (34 kg) of meat per evening. But they eat only one time in a week.
Are Bears Human Friendly?
They are not human-friendly. They tend to flee away when they feel a human presence around them but if they are threatened they can attack and kill humans. On the other hand, the Panda bears are known to be a human-friendly creatures as it is playful and not aggressive.
Why Bears Attack Each Other?
The big-sized bears tend to attack, kill, and then eat the meat of other small-sized bears. They do this when there is a shortage of food.
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