How many wolves would it take to take down one male tiger?

Question

i recently came to an understanding that dogs are much muscular compared to house cats. per kilo to kilo, probably dogs are stronger than cats.

so my faith in tigers being the strongest land animal on earth (probably besides from polar bears) are shaken.

consequently i wondered maybe two wolves is enough to kill a tiger or a lion.

animal experts and animal planet couch potatoes out there, what do you think?

Answer 1

I somewhat agree with Viktor's assessment, but it also depends on how you structure the fight environment. Are you going to have a cornered environment and throw in enough wolves till the tiger/lion is too exhausted and or surrounded to successfully fend off attackers? Or will you have a more natural habitat where there is room for the tiger/lion to leap over the wolves and escape to higher ground beyond their reach? Also, motivation of the creatures involved will be a factor to be considered. A mother tiger/lion defending her young will cost you an extra wolf or 2.

Muscular depends on which muscles you are talking about. And it's not always just about brute strength. Dogs may be strong in running longer distances or pulling objects, but they don't have the sprinting capacity, agility and leaping ability (hindquarter musculature) of cats. And then there are the claws and slashing teeth to consider.

So if you're comparing similar sizes of animals, there is no doubt that the feline would win. If you're gonna throw in enough canine till you assure defeat, it's still gonna be way more weight in dog to take down the cat.

Cats are arguably the most efficient terrestrial predators created.

Answer 2

Wolves don't live where tigers live. Or lions. Mountain lions (pumas) sometimes live in the same general area as wolves but I think because they compete for the same prey, they stay away from each other.  Both species are endangered so they should not be encouraged to fight.  I doubt if they would since animals don't fight for sport.  If you see hyenas and lions on animal planet, (a more natural canine/feline match up) they never decide to fight to the death for some old zebra carcass.  After a certain amount of roaring and barking one or the other says “oh it’s not worth getting cut up about” and leaves.

Answer 3

What an interesting way your mind works. I honestly think that it would be impossible to guess at the answer to this question and that the best way to find out for sure would be a series of practical experiments. Just think of the video rights, you could end up with a tidy sum as well as the answer to your question. Now where to get several wolves and a tiger???

Answer 4

Actually, cats are generally more muscular than dogs, pound for pound. Dogs are pack animals that work together to bring down large prey - cats do so alone (except lions), and are therefore necessarily stronger. Two wolves wouldn't last five minutes against a tiger or lion - these are immensely powerful animals that can bring down prey many times larger than themselves, often species that wolves could not manage even in groups. One blow of a tiger or lion's paw could break a wolf's neck or back, and a single bite to a vital area would mean instant death. In areas of Siberia where tigers and wolves co-exist, entire wolf packs will avoid tigers whenever possible. The maximum weight of a tiger is around 660lb, and for a lion 550lb, compared to the mere 175lb maximum of a wolf.  I estimate it would take at least fifteen wolves to have even a fair chance against a tiger or lion.

Mary Jane - lions and dingos? I think you've got the wrong species there - lions are found in Africa, with a small population in the Gir Forest of India, whilst dingos are found in Australia.

Ssplatt - wolves co-exist with tigers in Siberia, and with tigers and lions in India. Also, hyenas are not canine. They belong to their own family, the Hyaenidae, which is actually more closely related to cats than to dogs.

Answer 5

Your question cannot readily be answered.  The first bit of additional info needed is what breed of wolf are you considering?  Second is what breed of tiger?  That given, in my opinion, it would take between six and eight hungry timber wolves to take down a Bengal Tiger.  I arrived at this by looking at the proclivities of the timber wolf and its weight compared to that of the Bengal.  I took into consideration also that the wolves would fight using pack tactics like they do in taking down a full grown elk.

Answer 6

5000000000000000000000000000000000000000... wolves