Siberian Tiger vs African Elephant Differences and Comparison

Tigers are apex predators of the food chain; they help in keeping the ecosystem healthy and diverse. Tigers are very ferocious and widely known for their deadly hunting skills. While on the other side, we have elephants; the largest mammals roaming on earth. These two animals are easy to recognize as they have very distinct anatomical structures. But the question ever crossed your mind that who will win if a Siberian tiger gets face to face with an African Elephant?? If yes, then this article is for you; here we endeavor to determine the winner between these two magnificent animals. Let’s know about them.

Physical Traits:

How do Siberian Tigers look like?

There are 8 species of Tiger out of which the Siberian tigers are the largest ones. They can attain a body length of about 3.7 meters and are enormously heavy, weighing 423 kg while their female counterparts are 2.4 meters and weigh 170 kg. Tigers are muscular having a thick neck, broad shoulders, strong and powerful limbs. They hunt with their long sharp and retractable claws that tore the skin of their prey easily.

They kill their prey by breaking its neck with their 7.5-10 cm long canines. Siberian tigers have a thick layer of fat and dense furry coat to protect themselves from the cold harsh climate. Tigers are identified with their distinctive stripe patterns as each tiger has a different stripe pattern; it helps them to camouflage and ambush while hunting. The perfect combination of these hunting tools make tigers adept killers; they hunt big mammals with their sharp claws, strong jaws, ambushing skills, and camouflaging color.

How do Bush Elephants look like?

African Bush elephants are the biggest of all elephant species and are the largest terrestrial mammal. An adult elephant can be 3.2-4 m in height and can weigh between 4,500-6,100 kg while females are smaller than their male counterparts their average height is around 2.-2.6m and a weight range between 2,000-3,000 kg. The Asian elephants are smaller as compared to them,They have a large-wide heavy head, big ears, trunk, pair of tusks, tail, and are quadrupedal. They breathe with their trunk, as the trunk is muscular they also use it to pluck twigs and graze grass. African Elephants have wrinkled, thick, and baggy skin which is mostly grey. 

Habitat- Geographical Distribution:

Where can a Siberian tiger be found?

Siberian Tigers are well adapted to live in cold regions; they are mainly found in the birch forests of Russia. Siberian Tigers are native to Russian territories, in eastern Siberia and northern China. A small population of Siberian also exists in northern china and North Korea.

Where do African Elephants live?

African Elephants live in varied habitats savannah grasslands, rain forests, scrubby forests, and can also be found traveling in the desert. African Bush Elephants are found in central and Southern Africa in the Ethiopian region.

Behavioral adaptations of Siberian Tiger?

Tigers are solitary animals and live in their territories alone. Tigers are usually nocturnal and hunt during the night; however, they also hunt during the daytime too. When the habitat of Siberian tigers gets covered in snow they select their route along the frozen rivers. Tigers are great swimmers; they can swim in waters up to 30 km.

How do African Bush elephants Behave?

African Bush elephants live and move in herds; they are quite social. The herd of elephants is led by alpha female, hence elephants are matriarch. Female elephants live in herds while the male bulls usually spend their life alone or live with other bulls. Male become very aggressive during the mating season however they are not territorial.

Diet:

What do Siberian tigers eat?

Siberian tigers are carnivores; their diet includes deer, wild boars, elks, bears, small rodent-like squirrels, rabbits, etc.

What do African elephant eats?

On the other side the large elephants are herbivores as they graze grass, eat leaves, twigs, shrubs, etc.

Amazing Fun Facts for kids:

Some interesting facts about Tigers:

• The tongue of tigers has numerous small, sharp, rear-facing projections known as papillae. It helps tigers to remove flesh off skin leaving behind just bones. 
• Hump Nosed Pit Viper, Cobra, Python, Crocodile, Another big tiger can kill a Siberian Tiger in its natural habitat.
• A tiger can digest bones from the human body. because of the presence of strong acid in its gut.
• Unlike most other cats, tigers are great swimmers and actually like being in water.
• African Elephant herds wander through 37 countries in Africa.

Some interesting facts about Bush Elephant:

• Elephant Calves can stand within 20 minutes of their birth.
• Elephant tusks are actually teeth.
• Elephant species can be differentiated by looking at their ears.
• Elephants console each other in times of stress by “hugging”.
• Elephants can’t cry, they drain excess moisture away from their eyes which is sometimes referred as tears.

Fight comparison: Who would win?

As both the Siberian tiger and African Elephant live in different halves of the world; the possibility natural encounter between these two is close to none. But if a fight comparison is made between an adult Siberian tiger and a fully grown African Elephant; the elephant would have a heavy hand. When it comes to the attacking skills of the Siberian tiger, it does ambush attack and kill its prey by breaking the neck with its large canines. African Elephant is the largest terrestrial animal, it would be difficult or nearly impossible for the tiger to grab the big neck of an adult elephant. If the tiger dares to attack the elephant and it fails, then the elephant can crush the tiger’s skull through its heavy legs. Hence, the Siberian tiger stands no chance against it; so we predict Elephant as the winner.

Comparison Chart: Siberian Tiger vs African Elephant

Comparison Heads	Siberian Tiger	African Bush Elephant
Kingdom	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata	Chordata
Class	Mammalia	Mammalia
Order	Carnivora	Proboscidea
Family	Felidae	Elephantidae
Genus	Panthera	Loxodonta
Species	P. Tigris	L.Africana
Found in	Russia, Northern China, and North Korea	Central and Southern Africa in Ethiopian region
Body Length	Around 3.7 m	16.4-24.6 feet
Height	75-107 cm (shoulder height)	More than 12 feet
Weight	423 kg	2000-3000 kg
Running speed	80 km/hr	40 km/hr
Lifespan	14-16 years	60-70 years

Comparison Video: Siberian Tiger vs African Elephant

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFGjW_EN5rE

FAQ’S: Frequently Asked Questions