Mammoth Columbus- one of the largest mammoths that ever existed on earth, a relative of the more common woolly mammoth. The remains of Colombian mammoths were found on the way from Canada to Mexico. The famous woolly mammoths left their traces in North Asia, Russia, Canada. Their main difference is that the Colombian mammoths were practically not covered with wool, which brings them closer to modern elephants, and their tusks were much larger than those of woolly mammoths.

The growth of Colombian mammoths was approximately 3-4 m, and the weight reached 5-10 tons. Colombian mammoths are the owners of the largest tusks among the elephant family. 3.5 in length, rounded, incredibly strong, they were used to fight all predators, including humans.

Giant sloths. Today, the sloth is one of the cutest creatures, photos with which are gaining millions of “likes” on social networks. Their ancient ancestors did not seem so charming.

Several species of giant sloths are known. Those who lived in the area North America, were the size of rhinos, and ancient man, perhaps, they often dined. However, the largest of the giant sloths, Megatheria, lived in South Africa about 10 thousand years ago and were not the size of smaller elephant. About 6 m from head to tail, weighing 4 tons, with sharp teeth and long nails, sloths seemed to be quite formidable animals. Moreover, there is an assumption that they were predators.

The last species of giant sloths lived on Caribbean Islands about 4.2 thousand years ago.

Gigantopithecus the largest primate ever to stomp the earth. This relative of orangutans deserved its name: the three-meter animal weighed 500 kg and was huge even for the prehistoric world. Interestingly, Gigantopithecus is very similar to images of the Yeti. True, Gigantopithecus died out 100 thousand years ago. In addition, if then the giant primates did not even think of hiding from people, then it is unlikely that any of them are now hiding in highlands, scaring tourists under the guise of Bigfoot.

Gigantopithecus lived on Earth for about 6-9 million years, eating fruits South-East Asia. But with climate change rainforests turned into arid savannas, and Gigantopithecus began to die out from lack of food.

cave hyena reached 1 m in height at the shoulders and weighed from 80 to 100 kg. According to calculations based on fossil studies, the cave hyena was able to knock down a 5-year-old mastodon, which weighed a whole ton.

Cave hyenas lived in packs, sometimes consisting of 30 individuals. This made them stronger hunters: together they could attack a 9-year-old mastodon weighing all 9 tons. Needless to say, a person hardly dreamed of meeting a flock of hungry hyenas.

The population of cave hyenas began to decline 20 thousand years ago and finally disappeared 11-13 thousand years ago. As one of the reasons that influenced the extinction of cave hyenas, scientists suggest the struggle with man for cave space during the last ice age.

Smilodon- an extinct genus of saber-toothed cats, contrary to stereotypes, having little in common with saber-toothed tigers.

Saber-toothed cats first appeared 42 million years ago. There were many species of them, most of which died out before the appearance of man. However, at least two species of saber-toothed cats could be found by primitive man in America. They were the size of modern African lion and weighed like Amur tiger.

Smilodon was an incredibly strong animal - he could easily attack a mammoth. Smilodon used a special tactic: at first, he waited for prey, approached imperceptibly and quickly attacked.

Despite its "saber-toothed", smilodon among cats does not have the most powerful bite. Yes, bite modern lion perhaps three times as strong. But on the other hand, the mouth of the smilodon swung open at 120 degrees, which is half the capabilities of the current lion.

dire wolf- no, “terrible” is not an epithet here, but the name of a species of wolves that lived in North America. Dire wolves appeared about a quarter of a million years ago. They are similar to modern gray wolves, but much more hardy. Their length reached 1.5 m, and their weight was about 90 kg.

The dire wolf's bite force was 29% stronger than the bite force gray wolf. Their main diet was horses. Like many other carnivores, the dire wolf became extinct 10,000 years ago during the last ice age.

american lion, despite the name "lion", was closer to the modern panther than to the lion. American lions inhabited the territory of North America about 330 thousand years ago.

The American lion is the largest known wild cat in history. On average, an individual weighed about 350 kg, was incredibly strong and easily attacked a bison. So even a group of primitive people would not be thrilled to meet one of the American lions. Like previous companions, American lions became extinct during the last ice age.

Megalania- the largest of known to science lizards - lived in Australia and began to disappear about 50 thousand years ago, that is, at the same time as a person began to populate the continent.

The size of megalania is the subject of scientific debate. According to some data, its length reached 7 m, but there is an opinion that the average length was about 3.5 m. But not only the size is important: megalania was a poisonous lizard. If her victim did not die from blood loss, then she certainly died from poisoning - in any case, hardly anyone managed to escape alive from the mouth of megalania.

short-faced bear- one of those types of bears that primitive man could encounter. The ancient bear was about 1.5 meters at the shoulders, but as soon as he stood on his hind legs, he stretched up to 4 meters. If this doesn’t sound scary enough, then add this detail: thanks to long limbs, the bear developed speeds of up to 64 km / h. And this means that Hussein Bolt, whose record is 45 km / h, would have easily got him for dinner.

Giant short-faced bears were one of the largest carnivores in North America. They appeared about 800 thousand years ago, and died out 11.6 thousand years ago.

quincans, land crocodiles appeared quite a long time ago - 1.6 million ago in Australia. The giant ancestors of crocodiles reached 7 m in length. Unlike crocodiles, Quincans lived and hunted on land. In this they were helped by long powerful legs in order to catch up with prey at great distances, and sharp teeth. The fact is that crocodiles use their teeth mainly to capture the victim, drag her water and drown. The teeth of the land Quincan were intended for killing, they dug in and literally cut the victim. Quincans died out about 50 thousand years ago, having lived for about 10 thousand years side by side with primitive man.

teetering on the brink of extinction due to destruction ecological systems and habitat loss. In the following paragraphs of the article, you will learn about 10 extinct species of tigers and lions that have disappeared from the face of the Earth over the past few thousand years.

Despite its name, the American cheetah had more in common with cougars than with modern cheetahs. Its slender, flexible body, like that of a cheetah, is most likely the result of convergent evolution (the tendency for dissimilar organisms to take on similar body shapes and behaviors when developed under similar conditions). In the case of Miracinonyx, the grassy plains of North America and Africa had almost identical conditions, which played a role in the emergence of outwardly similar animals. American cheetahs became extinct at the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago, possibly due to human encroachment on their territory.

As with the American cheetah (see previous paragraph), the relationship of the American lion to modern lions is a matter of much debate. According to some reports, this predator of the Pleistocene era is more closely related to tigers and jaguars. The American lion coexisted and competed with other superpredators of the time, such as the saber-toothed tiger, the giant short-faced bear, and the dire wolf.

If american lion, was actually a subspecies of the lion, it was the largest of its kind. Some alpha males reached a mass of up to 500 kg.

As you might guess from the name of the animal, the Bali tiger was native to the Indonesian island of Bali, where the last individuals died out only about 50 years ago. For thousands of years, the Bali tiger has been at odds with the indigenous human settlements in Indonesia. However, the neighborhood with local tribes did not pose a serious threat to these tigers until the arrival of the first European traders and mercenaries who ruthlessly hunted Bali tigers for sport and sometimes to protect their animals and homesteads.

One of the most formidable subspecies of the lion was the Barbary lion, a valuable property of medieval British lords who wanted to intimidate their peasants. Several large individuals made their way from North Africa to the Tower of London Zoo, where many British aristocrats were previously imprisoned and executed. The male Barbary lions had particularly thick manes, and reached a mass of about 500 kg, which made them one of the largest lions ever to live on Earth.

There is a high likelihood of a resurgence of the Barbary lion subspecies in wild nature by selecting his offspring, scattered throughout the zoos of the world.

The Caspian lion has a precarious position in the classification big cats. Some naturalists argue that these lions should not be classified as a separate subspecies, considering the Kaispi lion to be simply a geographical offshoot of the still extant Transvaal lion. In fact, it is very difficult to distinguish an individual subspecies from an isolated population. In any case, the last specimens of these representatives of big cats became extinct at the end of the 19th century.

6. Turan tiger, or Transcaucasian tiger, or Caspian tiger

Of all the big cats that have become extinct in the last 100 years, the Turanian tiger had the most geographical distribution, ranging from Iran to the vast, windswept steppes of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The greatest damage to this subspecies was caused by Russian empire, which bordered on the habitats of the Caspian tiger. Tsarist officials encouraged the destruction of the Turanian tigers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

As with the Barbary lion, the Caspian tiger can be reintroduced into the wild through selective breeding of its offspring.

Probably, the cave lion, along with the saber-toothed tiger, is one of the most famous extinct big cats. Oddly enough, but cave lions did not live in caves. They got their name because many fossils of these lions have been found in the caves of Europe, visited by sick or dying individuals.

An interesting fact is that paleontologists attribute as many as three subspecies to the European lion: Panthera leo europaea, Panthera leo tartarica And Panthera leo fossilis. They are combined relatively big sizes bodies (some males weighed about 200 kg, females were slightly smaller) and susceptibility to encroachment and seizure of territories by representatives of the early European civilization: for example, European lions often participated in gladiator fights in the arenas of ancient Rome.

Javan tiger, like his close relative the Bali tiger (see point 3) was limited to one island in the Malay Archipelago. Despite relentless hunting, the main reason for the extinction of the Javan tiger was the loss of habitat due to the rapid growth of the human population in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The last Javan tiger was seen in the wild decades ago. Given the overpopulation of the island of Java, no one has high hopes for the restoration of this subspecies.

10. Smilodon (saber-toothed tiger)

From a scientific point of view, smilodon, it has nothing to do with modern tigers. However, given its overall popularity, the saber-toothed tiger deserves a mention in this list of extinct big cats. The saber-toothed tiger was one of the most dangerous predators of the Pleistocene era, able to sink its huge fangs into the necks of large mammals of those times.

Saber-toothed tigers are formidable and dangerous predators families of cats, completely extinct in ancient times. hallmark these animals had upper fangs of impressive size, shaped like sabers. What is known about saber-toothed cats by modern scientists? Were these animals tigers? What did they look like, how did they get used to living, and why did they disappear? Let's fast forward through the thickness of the centuries - to those times when huge ferocious cats, going hunting, confidently walked the planet with the gait of true animal kings ...

Cat or tiger?

First of all, it should be noted that the term "saber-toothed tigers", which seems so familiar, is actually incorrect.

Biological science knows the subfamily of saber-toothed cats (Machairodontinae). However, with tigers, these ancient animals have exceptionally little common features. In the first and second, the proportions and structure of the body differ significantly, the lower jaws are connected to the skull in different ways. In addition, the striped "brindle" coloring is not typical for any of the saber-toothed cats. Their way of life is also different from that of tigers: paleontologists suggest that these animals were not loners, living and hunting in prides, like lions.

However, since the term "saber-toothed tigers" is used almost universally, and even in scientific literature, further we will also use this beautiful allegory.

Tribes of saber-toothed cats

Until 2000, the subfamily of saber-toothed cats, or machairodonts (Machairodontinae), united three large tribes.

Representatives of the first tribe, Machairodontini (sometimes also called Homoterini), are distinguished by exceptionally large upper canines, wide and serrated with inside. When hunting, predators relied more on the impact of this crushing "weapon" than on the bite. The smallest cats of the Machairod tribe were commensurate with a small modern leopard, the largest exceeded the size of a very large tiger.

The saber-toothed tigers of the second tribe, Smilodontini, are characterized by longer upper canine teeth, but they were much narrower and not as serrated as those of the Machairods. Their downward fangs attack was the most deadly and perfect among the representatives of all saber-toothed cats. As a rule, smilodons were the size of an Amur tiger or lion, but the American species of this predator has the glory of the largest saber-toothed cat in history.

The third tribe, Metailurini, is the most ancient. That is why the teeth of these animals are, as it were, a "transitional stage" between the fangs of ordinary and saber-toothed cats. It is believed that they separated from other machairodonts quite early, and their evolution took place somewhat differently. Due to the rather weak expression of the "saber-toothed" signs, representatives of this tribe began to be attributed directly to the cats, considering them "small cats", or "pseudo-saber-toothed". Since 2000, this tribe is no longer included in the subfamily of interest to us.

Saber tooth period

Saber-toothed cats inhabited the Earth quite for a long time- more than twenty million years, appearing for the first time in the early Miocene and finally disappearing in the late Pleistocene period. During all this time, they gave rise to many genera and species, significantly differing in appearance and size. However, hypertrophied upper fangs (in some species they could reach more than twenty centimeters in length) and the ability to open their mouths very widely (sometimes even one hundred and twenty degrees!) Traditionally made up their common features.

Where did saber-toothed cats live?

These animals were characterized by an ambush attack. Having pressed the victim to the ground with powerful front paws or dug into her throat, the saber-toothed tiger instantly cut her carotid artery and trachea. The accuracy of the bite was the main weapon of this predator - after all, fangs stuck in the bones of prey could break. Such a mistake would be fatal for an unfortunate predator, depriving him of the ability to hunt and thereby dooming him to death.

Why did saber-toothed cats become extinct?

Many large mammals- cave bears, woolly rhinos, giant sloths, mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. Why did this happen?

During the period of glacial cooling, many plants rich in proteins, which served as the usual food for giant herbivores, died out. At the end of the Pleistocene period, the climate on the planet became warmer and much drier. The forests were gradually replaced by open grassy prairies, but the new vegetation, adapted to the changed conditions, did not have the nutritional value of the former. Herbivorous sloths and mammoths gradually died out, not finding enough food. Accordingly, there were fewer animals that could be hunted by predators. The saber-toothed tiger, an ambush hunter for big game, turned out to be a hostage to the current situation. The structural features of his jaw apparatus did not allow him to produce small animals, a massive physique and short tail did not give the opportunity to catch up with fast-footed prey in open areas, which became more and more. The changed conditions led to the fact that the ancient tigers with saber fangs did not get a chance to survive. Slowly, but inexorably, all the varieties of these animals that exist in nature disappeared from the face of the Earth.

Without exception, all saber-toothed cats are completely extinct animals that did not leave direct descendants.

Machairods

Of all the representatives of saber-toothed cats known to science, it was the mahairod that most of all resembled a tiger. In nature, there were several types of mahairods, which had significant differences in appearance, but they were united by jagged edges of long upper fangs, shaped like "mahairs" - curved swords.

These ancient animals appeared in Eurasia about fifteen million years ago, and two million years have passed since their disappearance. The weight of the largest representatives of this tribe reached half a ton, and in size they were quite commensurate with modern horses. Archaeologists are convinced that the machairod was the largest wild cat of its time. Hunting large herbivores - rhinos and elephants, these animals quite successfully competed with others. large predators of their time, dire wolves and cave bears. Mahairods became the "progenitors" of a more perfect species of saber-toothed cats - Homotheres.

Homotheria

It is believed that these saber-toothed cats appeared about five million years ago at the turn of the Miocene and Pleistocene. They were distinguished by a more slender physique, vaguely resembling a modern lion. However, their hind legs were somewhat shorter than their front ones, which gave these predators some resemblance to a hyena. The upper fangs of Homotheres were shorter and wider than those of Smilodon - representatives of another tribe of saber-toothed cats that inhabited the Earth in parallel with them. In addition to this, the presence a large number notches on the fangs allowed scientists to conclude that these animals were capable of inflicting not only chopping, but also cutting blows with them.

Compared with other saber-toothed cats, Homotherium had a very high endurance, was adapted to long (though not fast) running and crossing long distances. There are suggestions that these now extinct animals led a solitary lifestyle. However, most researchers are still inclined to believe that Homotheres hunted in groups like other saber-toothed cats, since it was easier to kill stronger and larger prey this way.

Smilodons

Compared to other saber-toothed cats known to the ancient animal world Earth, Smilodon possessed a more powerful physique. The largest representative of saber-toothed cats - the smilodon populator that lived on the American continent - grew up to one hundred and twenty-five centimeters high at the withers, and its length from nose to tail could be two and a half meters. The fangs of this beast (together with the roots) reached twenty-nine centimeters in length!

Smilodon lived and hunted in prides, which included one or two dominant males, several females and young. The coloration of these animals could well be spotted, like a leopard. It is also possible that the males had a short mane.

Information about smilodon is contained in many scientific reference books and fiction, he acts as a character in films ("Portal jurassic"," Prehistoric Park") and cartoons (" glacial period"). Perhaps this is the most famous animal of all, which is commonly called saber-toothed tigers.

Clouded leopard - a modern descendant of the saber-toothed tiger

Today it is considered that indirect, but the closest relative of Smilodon is the clouded leopard. It belongs to the subfamily Pantherinae (panther cats), within which it is allocated to the genus Neofelis.

Its body is quite massive and compact at the same time - these features were also inherent in saber-toothed cats of antiquity. Among the representatives of modern cats, this beast has the longest fangs (both upper and lower) relative to its own size. In addition, the jaws of this predator are able to open 85 degrees, which is much more than any other modern cat.

Not being a direct descendant of saber-toothed cats, the clouded leopard is a clear proof that the method of hunting with the use of deadly "fangs-sabers" may well be used by a predator in modern times.

If you ask even a child about who is the king of animals, then the answer will be unequivocal: "Of course, a lion." Yet there is another opinion. Many experts give the palm to the tiger, and they are sure that it will be he who will emerge victorious from the battle of these two titans. But in order to determine who is stronger, who is faster and who is more dangerous - a tiger or a lion, it is necessary to provide the main characteristics of these two animals.

a lion

Now lions are found only in Asia and Africa, although earlier their range of residence was much wider - from Europe to the Middle East. But over time, people pushed them back, and now in wildlife lions are found only in the south, east and west of Africa, as well as in India. African and Asiatic lions differ in their appearance and the main characteristics from each other: different habitats affect.

These representatives of the cat family live in small groups - prides, the number of which ranges from four to thirty or more individuals. Usually a pride includes two or three males, one of which dominates, and several females with offspring. Large dimensions do not prevent these animals from overcoming even a three-meter height. In general, jumping is their forte. When hunting, the lion freezes in the grass in anticipation of the victim, and then knocks it to the ground in one calculated leap. Although, by the way, the main earner is the female, and the male is more responsible for protecting the territory of the pride from unwanted intrusions. It is quite easy to distinguish a lion from a lioness: the male has a lush mane, and the lioness does not.

Tiger

There are different subspecies: Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malay, Sumatran, Chinese. All names correspond to the habitat.

Tigers are solitary hunters. They do not live in groups, but apart. The male occupies an area of ​​700-800 square kilometers, and 500 square kilometers is enough for the female with offspring.

Who is bigger - a tiger or a lion?

The weight of an adult lion reaches from 180 to 240 kg, and the body length reaches three meters. Females are slightly smaller: the average weight is 140 kg, and the body length is half a meter shorter.

The length of the body of an average adult tiger is not inferior to the length of the body of a lion, on the contrary, it is slightly longer. As for body weight, there is also a difference of 50 kg in favor of the tiger. Representatives of the Amur subspecies are even heavier: their weight reaches 350 kg.

So, who is bigger - a lion or a tiger? It turns out that the striped representative of the cat family beats the maned relative a little in size.

Comparison of the strength of two predators

And who is stronger - a lion or a tiger? The answer is far from clear. It depends on what is considered indicators of strength: either the characteristics of the species, or the number of rounds won. The claws of a tiger are sharper and longer (10 cm) than those of a lion (7 cm). Since the tiger is on average heavier than the lion, it means that he has more muscles. The strength of their jaws is approximately the same, and they kill the victim similarly: dig their fangs into the neck. But the success of the duel depends not only on who is bigger - a tiger or a lion, but also on the tactics of the battle. For example, the blow of a lion is more crushing. With one swing, he kills a hyena or a zebra. If you take external characteristics the tiger is stronger than the lion. But if we take the specific results of the clashes between these two animals as a basis, then the king of beasts does not give up its positions and proves that it deserved such a title.

Who is faster - a lion or a tiger?

Here the advantage is on the side of the tabby cat. An adult tiger can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, while a lion is only 60 km/h. True, both those and others are unable to run at such a speed for long distances.

Who is more dangerous?

According to its behavior in a fight, the tiger seems to be more aggressive than the lion. He immediately rushes into battle, while the lion can enter the battle as if reluctantly. Sometimes it seems that he plays first rather than tries to strike. It's all about their social nature. The tiger is used to fighting alone, he knows that he has no one to wait for help from. And the lion, who mostly hunts with members of the pride, may habitually think that he has a support group behind him, ready to turn on at any moment, and therefore behaves less intimidating than the enemy.

Who is more resilient?

Definitely a lion. It seems that he does not care even about deep wounds and pain. He will fight to the end. The tiger, after several injuries inflicted on him, as a rule, runs away. In a fight, the tiger makes more active, but unnecessary movements, and because of this, his strength is quickly depleted.

Who wins the conflict?

The answer to the question "who is stronger - a lion or a tiger" requires facts and documentary evidence and not just speculation. There are many real videos that show the fight between two titans. In a nutshell, the conclusion is this: the tiger is the initiator of the conflict, but he retreats after the lion shows who is the master of the situation. The latter is more confident. Yes, and the lion has more fighting experience, because adult lions constantly fight for territory, and a tiger can only take part in a fight a couple of times in a lifetime.

The duel itself at first looks as if the tiger still inflicts more blows on the enemy, and this creates the illusion of his victory. But mostly these blows do not reach their goal, because the lion manages to dodge in time. The tiger, on the other hand, makes a lot of unnecessary movements, and this gets tired faster. In battle, he stands on two hind legs and tries to fight with his front legs, and at the same time it is harder to maintain balance. In addition, his strategy is not well thought out: he tries to hit on the neck, but the lion has a powerful mane that absorbs these blows, and in total they do not bring the lion great harm. The blows of the lion are more calculated, and if he beats, then so that the tiger will fall for sure. This predator strikes with one paw, standing on three others, and tries to get into the unprotected neck or tear a tuft of skin from the sides or back, and it succeeds quite often. If the blow is strong, but not fatal, then the tiger shamefully runs away, whining like a dog.

In fairness, it should be noted that there is also another side of the coin. Perhaps the tiger runs away not so much because he is tired or scared, but because the lion is more afraid of wounds and does not see the need to fight to the death in a domestic showdown. After all, if a wounded lion needs to lie down, then other members of the pride will take care of him, and the tiger can only rely on himself, and severe severe injuries doom him to starvation. So he can choose to retreat.

Fights in Ancient Rome

It is interesting that the expression "king of beasts" was attached to the lion at the time ancient rome. About the attitude towards him as the owner great strength testifies to the many monuments of architecture, where this majestic predator is depicted as a winner. The question of who is stronger - a lion or a tiger, was also of interest to the ancient Romans. For the sake of the spectators, who were thirsty for bloody spectacles, different animals were pitted. Very often it was lions and tigers who had to measure their strength.

Who usually wins these fights? Almost all historical reports speak in favor of lions. For example, the predominant victories of these predators over tigers are recorded in Plato's Dialogues and Cleopatra's Memoirs. Moreover, there is evidence that the lion tore even an elephant due to its grip and technicality.

Another additional answer to the question of who is stronger - a lion or a tiger, are the architectural monuments of Ancient Rome. It is the lion that is depicted on the sculptures as a symbol of courage and strength. Therefore, eyewitnesses of animal battles also considered him so. There are very few monuments where the tiger is immortalized.

Skirmishes in zoos and circuses

In wildlife, individual fights would never have taken place, because the habitats of some subspecies do not intersect. For example, an Amur tiger or a lion living in Africa would never have had the opportunity to measure strength. Whether it's zoos, where they live in neighboring cells.

You can't argue with numbers. In most fatal cases, tigers fell victim. When they are together with lions in a confined space, such as an aviary or a cage, the tigers are very panicked, because they have nowhere to escape. They behave rather irrationally, and this is the main reason for their defeats. The lion, on the contrary, bends his line to the end, and the final outcome is the death of the enemy.

One animal trainer described the case of a lion named Sultan the First. During one performance at the circus, he challenged all the tigers. They approached him in the arena, and he defeated them all in turn. Moreover, these were only large young and strong animals. Sultan the First, like an experienced boxer, delivered false blows, bluffed, forcing the tigers to miss, and then delivered a crushing blow. The defeated tigers crawled around the arena, and the winner triumphantly finished them off. No one could pull them apart, all the tigers died. It was a cruel sight.

Having considered these facts, each reader can decide for himself who is better - a lion or a tiger - will prove himself in a fight. Although it would be much better if they never fought among themselves and did not attack a person.