Wolves are deadly hunters, using their attacks to consume large prey until they are unable to fight back. Lion prides are as comfortable as launching an ambush when they attack their prey for a few minutes. While the two creatures don’t share range, we wanted to imagine what would happen if they did. Will a battle between a superpack of 50 wolves and a pride of lions favor the big cats or the canines?
We’ll break down the fight with information on the largest wolves and lions in existence. We’ll show you how each animal compares individually, and then add their numbers to the fight in order to draw logical conclusions about the fight.
Comparing Wolves and Lions
| wolves | lion club | |
|---|---|---|
| size | Weight: 80 to 150 pounds Height: From 2.2 to 3 feet Length: 3.4 to 5 feet long | Weight: Average 260 to 550 pounds Height: 3 to 3.9 feet tall Length: 4 to 7 feet long |
| speed | – From 30 to 40 mph | – Moderate distances can run at 35 mph, but can go as fast as 50 mph |
| defense | – Wolves are the first line of defense for many wolves – The wolf’s speed helps it escape damage – Powerful senses allow wolves to find prey and avoid danger | – Protected by their proud size and strength – The size and strength of lions make them very difficult to take down – Can escape dangerous situations at its speed |
| offensive ability | – Bite force as low as 400 PSI or as high as 1,000 PSI – Has 2 inch teeth for biting – There are also some sharp claws that can be used to attack | – Has a strong bite and can withstand pressures from 650 to 1,000 PSI – Canines are about 3 to 3.9 inches long – have 1.5 inch long claws to help them attack prey – will attack the neck of prey |
| predatory behavior | – Cursorial predation, wolves hunt, damage, wear and kill prey | – often hunt large game with their pride – Can use Stamina Predation or Ambush Predation |
What are the two main differences between 50 wolves and a pride of lions?
The most notable difference between a pack of 50 wolves and a pack of lions is the size of the animals and the number of members in the pack. The average pride of a lion can measure anywhere between 3 and 40 members, and these animals can weigh up to 550 pounds, stand 3 to 3.9 feet tall and 4 to 7 feet long. Meanwhile, this super pack has 50 members, each animal weighing between 80 and 150 pounds, standing about 2.2 to 3 feet tall and about 5 feet or slightly longer.
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All in all, lions are bigger and deadlier on an individual level, but it’s hard to ignore the impact the number of fighters has on this epic battle. We need more information before making a decision.
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What are the key factors in the battle between 50 wolves and the pride of lions?
Key factors in a fight between 50 wolves and a pack of lions included individual size, aggression, and predation behavior. However, we need to include all relevant data.
We’ll examine five data points to determine which animal has the greater advantage in each area, and use that information to describe exactly how the fight will play out.
50 Pride of Wolves vs. Lions: Size
The average lion is much larger than the average gray wolf. A lion can weigh between 260 and 550 pounds, stand between 3 and 3.9 feet tall, and grow up to 7 feet long. The average wolf weighs only 80 to 150 pounds, stands up to 3 feet tall, and measures between 3.4 and 5 feet in length.
Needless to say, the average lion is considerably larger than a wolf, so they have quite the advantage in this fight.
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50 Pride of Wolves vs. Lions: Speed
Although they are larger and heavier, the average lion can reach higher speeds than the average wolf. Both creatures tend to run at speeds between 30 and 40 mph, but lions can reach top speeds of around 50 mph when approaching their prey.
This explosive speed can give lions an advantage when attacking other creatures. However, that wasn’t enough to escape a pack of wolves.
Still, the Lions have the speed advantage in this fight.
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50 Pride of Wolf and Lion: Defense
Both wolves and lions depend on the presence of their pack or pride members to keep them safe. They find security in numbers, which ensures that they can live and hunt with each other.
Personally, wolves don’t have much defense. They can flee from situations that are not in their favor. Lions can also use their speed to escape, but they are also large and powerful animals that are difficult to take down in a fight. Physically, some lions have manes that protect their necks from bites.
All in all, the lion’s size gives it an advantage in defense.
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50 Pride of Wolves vs. Lions: Offensive Capabilities
Lions are deadlier attackers than wolves. A lion can kill prey much larger than itself with one vicious blow. Lions have a bite force of up to 1,000 PSI and canine teeth about 4 inches long. Their raw strength and weight allow them to bring their prey to the ground with ease while striking precisely at the neck.
Wolves are also dangerous. Their bite force has been measured at 400 PSI and is rumored to be much higher in the wild. Their canines are about 2 inches long, long enough for them to kill smaller prey. They also have fairly sharp claws that they use to attack or climb up on prey. They can hunt prey larger than themselves, but they rely on their hunting packs to share the ordeal.
All in all, the Lions have the offensive advantage in this fight.
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50 Pride of wolves and lions: Predation
Wolves are known for their sketchy approach to predation. That’s when they chase their prey, inflicting one damage after another on the way to destroy its will to fight, and then kill it when it’s too tired to fight back.
What’s interesting about lions is that they can hunt large prey using sketchy hunting with a few other animals, but they can also ambush prey when hunting in small groups or alone.
Lions have an advantage in this situation because of their versatility.
Who would win in a fight between 50 wolves and a pack of lions?
A pack of 50 wolves will win the battle against the lion pack. This is true even though the Lions have most of the advantage in this fight.
The average size of a pride of lions is between 3 and 40 animals. A team of 40 members would win, but the deviation from the mean is too large. Most prides are much smaller.
Lion prides in Kruger National Park average about 13 lions. Not all lions in the pride are defying their age and ready to fight wolves, though. On average, 5 lions are juveniles or cubs, giving a pride of 8 members to fight. This means that each adult lion needs to face about 5 or 6 wolves.
By now, you’ve probably seen the video where a single lion fends off 20 hyenas. That lion won’t survive that encounter forever. The hyenas wore it down quickly, and if another lion hadn’t come to the rescue, they could have swooped in for the kill in minutes.
This is the case here. The lion must flee the fight if it is to survive. A lone wolf can drag down a lion, attacking their vulnerable areas again and again. They know that their outnumbered means the lions cannot go on the attack without opening their hearts to the deadly attack. As long as they keep moving and biting, the lion has to suffer until they can fight back.
If lions hold their ground, they die. However, they may take at least a few wolves with them at death. If we were to recalculate this fight with 15 adult lions, the wolves would have likely fled.
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
