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An adult male lion in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

Lion

Panthera leo

A Bengal tiger at Tadoba, India.

Tiger

Panthera tigris

Wikimedia Commons photograph; resized for display. Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Wikimedia Commons photograph; resized for display. Stephenekka · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Evidence from the profiles

Compare their characteristics

TraitLionTiger
Nutrition Carnivorous Source ↗ Carnivorous Source ↗
Social organization Social; lives in prides Source ↗ Generally solitary Source ↗
Physical traitsAdult male lions often grow a mane around the head and neck. Both sexes have a dark tuft at the tip of the tail.Dark stripes break up the tiger’s outline. Stripe patterns vary from one individual to another.
Habitat and rangeLions occupy a range of habitats, including grasslands, savannas and open woodland.Tigers live in varied habitats, including tropical forests, mangrove swamps and temperate forest.
Diet and nutritionLions hunt large prey such as zebras and wildebeest, and also scavenge when opportunities arise.Tigers mainly hunt large mammals, including deer and wild pigs.
Behavior and activityMembers of a pride cooperate in defending territory and sometimes in hunting.A tiger usually hunts by stalking its prey and attacking at close range.

Classification

Shared ancestry

Closest shared taxon: Panthera.

  1. LifeLife
  2. DomainEukaryota
  3. KingdomAnimalia
  4. PhylumChordata
  5. ClassMammalia
  6. OrderCarnivora
  7. FamilyFelidae
  8. GenusPanthera
Explore the taxonomy ↗

Sources from both profiles

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