Tiger and elephant are two creatures that live in India and other parts of Asia. For the most part, they keep a respectful distance from each other. However, we have to wonder what would have happened if a tiger vs. elephant fight had occurred. We can imagine how this battle will play out with the help of science and speculation, get relevant information about these two mammals, and see which one will win in a close fight.
Find out how tigers and elephants compare in size, senses and strength! We’ll show you which of these mighty creatures will emerge victorious!
Comparing Tigers and Elephants
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| tiger | elephant | |
| size | Weight: 500 lbs – 660 lbs Height: 3 feet – 4 feet at the withers Length 8 ft – 12.5 ft | Weight: 6,500 lbs – 12,000 lbs Height: 7 feet – 12 feet at the withers Length: 18ft – 21ft |
| speed and movement type | 30-40 mph – gallop – 20ft-25ft leap | – 9-25 mph – A sprinting, running gait that is not a trot or a gallop. |
| Bite Force and Teeth | 1000 PSI Bite Force – 30 teeth in total – 3 inch teeth | – Elephants have weak teeth and don’t use them for defense. |
| the senses | – Deep hearing helps tigers identify prey – Binocular vision is similar to humans, but much better at night. – A decent sense of smell is much worse than a dog’s sense of smell. | – good hearing – poor eyesight – Can smell food from miles away |
| defense | – Huge size – powerful roar – Striped fur camouflage helps tigers blend in with their surroundings. | – Huge size and weight – tough skin |
| offensive ability | – 4 inch claws – Strong bite – Strong jaws allow tigers to pinch and suffocate prey – Great muscular strength helps them overwhelm prey | – Ivory can pierce enemies – devastating stomping – Can use head and torso to bring down prey – High animal intelligence |
| predatory behavior | – Ambush Predator – Stalk and attack under favorable conditions – Attempts to clamp the prey’s neck for a fatal bite. | – Non-predator but will violently attack intruders. – Grazing most of the day |
Key Factors in Tiger-Elephant Fighting
As with many other fights between the two creatures, the most important data for comparing tiger versus elephant fights lie in each animal’s physical characteristics and fighting skills. We’ve broken down each of these umbrella factors into smaller tidbits. Look at the advantages each animal has over the other when it comes to fighting.
physical characteristics
When two animals fight, the larger one only has the advantage, and it grows commensurate with their size difference. However, other physical traits can help bridge the gap and give smaller creatures an advantage. Consider the physical component of a fight between a tiger and an elephant.
Tiger vs. Elephant: Size
Tigers are the largest and strongest cats in the world. These mammals can weigh up to 660 pounds, stand 4 feet tall and reach 12 feet in length. This dwarfs other serious predators, such as lions. Biggest tiger ever weighed 932 lbs!
However, both cats pale in comparison to the elephant’s gigantic size. An elephant can weigh more than 10,000 pounds, stand 12 feet tall and grow to be 21 feet long. Even if we limit ourselves to Asian elephants whose range overlaps with tigers, the largest Asian elephant weighs over 12,000 pounds! That’s a huge animal!
Elephants have an advantage due to their large size.
Tiger Fight: Speed and Movement
When an elephant needs to charge in pursuit of an enemy, it can move rapidly, reaching speeds of up to 25 mph. However, it is not a very agile animal.
A tiger can run at an astonishing 40 mph using a galloping sprint, which helps it outrun almost every other land mammal. No wonder they are the top predators in their range.
Tigers have an advantage in speed and athleticism.
Tigers and Elephants: Bite Force and Teeth
The tiger is a carnivore that relies on its bite and large teeth to take down its opponents. They can bite with a force of 1,000 PSI, driving 3 inches of teeth into an enemy.
However, elephants do not fight with their teeth. They are herbivores and do not require sharp teeth or a strong bite.
Tigers have an advantage in bite strength and teeth.
Tigers and Elephants: Senses
Elephants have excellent senses of hearing and smell as they are constantly searching for food to meet their enormous energy demands. Tigers have far more powerful senses, though. They have excellent night vision, can identify prey by sight, and can smell the markings of other animals very well. It’s no surprise that these carnivores have such keen senses.
Tigers have a distinct sensory advantage.
Tiger Fight: Physical Defense
Tigers don’t have high defenses because they are the meanest things in their habitat. They are simply too big and powerful to fight, and they make a terrifying roar that will send other animals running around before the fight begins.
Likewise, elephants rely on their large size and tough skin to ward off predators, even from an early age.
In this case, the tiger and the elephant are tied.
fighting skills
©dangdumrong/Shutterstock.com
Physical attributes can certainly help determine who wins a match, but the ability to hunt another creature can reduce the importance of the physical component. See how elephants and tigers fight with others.
Tiger Fight: Offensive Abilities
The elephant’s means of attack are simple: it tramples its enemies to death, or impales them (if it has one) with its tusks.
Tigers have a larger combat arsenal. Swipe from their claws to stagger opponents. Their claws can tear open their prey, causing it to bleed to death. The tiger’s favorite tool of attack is a devastating and almost always fatal bite, in which it sinks its enormous teeth into the neck of its prey.
Tigers are much better at attacking.
Tigers and Elephants: Predatory Behavior
Elephants are not predators, so they don’t go out of their way to attack other people unless threatened. In this case, it charges at the enemy, flips them over, and then eliminates them.
Tigers may be the most fearless ambush predators on the planet. They have no problem attacking larger creatures and even humans. Tigers lurk in tall grass or wooded areas until they charge at their prey and kill it, before responding. They often clamp their jaws around the throats of their prey, suffocating them while inflicting serious injury.
Needless to say, the tiger had the upper hand in the predation behavior.
What is the main difference between a tiger and an elephant?
©iStock.com/Ondrej Prosicky
Elephants are 20 feet tall and weigh 12,000 pounds, and tigers are 4 feet tall and weigh 600 pounds. Tigers are predatory carnivores while elephants are herbivores. In short, elephants are larger and more gentle, while tigers are smaller and more aggressive.
Tigers are destructive hunters and fearlessly forage even in populated areas!
Who would win in a fight between a tiger and an elephant?
© Millie Bond – Copyright AZ Animals
Elephants will win in tiger vs elephant battles. The tiger is unquestionably a ferocious beast, and of all other terrestrial animals, it probably has the best chance of successfully hunting a full-grown elephant. However, elephants are simply indomitable in their size and strength.
Let’s imagine a tiger stalking an elephant, the elephant can smell and hear the tiger, but not until the tiger has jumped on its back and dug in with its claws and teeth. The tiger was strong, but a lone cat couldn’t mortally wound the elephant before it finished right.
The elephant can shake off the tiger and withstand the tiger’s initial blows to its body. However, the elephant will knock or run the tiger over at some point. Tigers are not agile enough to avoid elephants forever.
All it takes is a piece of the tiger’s body to be caught under the weight of the elephant, and the fight is over. Tigers will be crushed or stabbed to death. However, the elephant was likely in poor health after the fight. Wounds that are deep enough can leave them vulnerable to infection and lingering disability. However, a tiger can kill a young elephant.
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