Lion skull beside black bear

[Ardent]

Wrangled a crate through customs, food inspection agency, and finally home with a lion and gemsbok. If you're ever looking to burn an afternoon show up at customs and declare a lion in a box. Lions are a lot bigger than many would figure, myself included prior to more in depth introductions.

Thought this could prove interesting, lion skull with a black bear nothing exceptional but good typical mature boar, slightly above average for our area,

 

[Ardent]

 

[doublelung]

Now thats a pretty cool comparison. What does the cat skull measure if you measure it as you would a bear skull??

 

[BwanaDave]

Thanks for that, had no idea there was such a big difference. That's a big kitty

 

[savagelh]

i can't believe how similar they are

 

[bearkilr]

One way to always tell is the way the upper and lower teeth mesh. Cats are pretty unique in that regard.

 

[hoytcanon]

Interesting...

Do you happen to have a grizzly skull for comparison? The old pit fights scenario, was always a lion and a grizzly.

 

[int3grity]

i can't believe how similar they are

It's clear that the similarity proves without a doubt that bears evolved into lions.

 

[dustycanuck]

Thanks for the post. Quite the comparison. I, too, would be interested in seeing the lion skull alongside a grizzly skull, or any other large skull you might happen across.

I watched 'The Ghost and the Darkness' for the first time yesterday. seeing your skull next to a black bear skull really puts that into perspective.


http://www.lionlamb.us/tsavo/tsavopix.html

 

[the spank]

That bear needed a trip to the dentist......

 

[Ardent]

Now thats a pretty cool comparison. What does the cat skull measure if you measure it as you would a bear skull??

25"

 

[Ardent]

That bear needed a trip to the dentist......

He was a very old boar, it gets a lot worse in the molars.

 

[EL34/6L6]

Very cool! Surprisingly similar. Wow!

 

[Ardent]

Interesting...

Do you happen to have a grizzly skull for comparison? The old pit fights scenario, was always a lion and a grizzly.

I don't have anything at the southern home here will have to wait til I get north again, wouldn't really be a fair representation anyhow biggest bear skull I have is 22", we'll have to wait for your coastal hunt. The mature male lion is as big as a typical inland grizzly, with a bigger head. A typical, healthy male lion can often weigh over 500lbs- that's a lot of cat and equals many cow elk. Exciting to imagine mega-cats roaming North America, pitty Smilodon isn't still out there for an LEH draw tag!

 

[Demonical]

Well the pics are interesting, but if you're saying the cat skull measures 25", then I'm suggesting that is a 'dink' black bear skull...

 

[BigUglyMan]

I don't have anything at the southern home here will have to wait til I get north again, wouldn't really be a fair representation anyhow biggest bear skull I have is 22", we'll have to wait for your coastal hunt. The mature male lion is as big as a typical inland grizzly, with a bigger head. A typical, healthy male lion can often weigh over 500lbs- that's a lot of cat and equals many cow elk. Exciting to imagine mega-cats roaming North America, pitty Smilodon isn't still out there for an LEH draw tag!

500 lbs in cattle country. Most should be a bit leaner than that. Still, not something you want to run into on your way back from the outhouse.

 

[Ardent]

It's clear that the similarity proves without a doubt that bears evolved into lions.

Only that carnivores are closely related, just as we are with our fellow primates. The ancestors of the lion and the bear split about 42 million years ago, or said differently their last common ancestor lived 42,000,000 years ago, but lions (and cats in general) did not evolve from bears.

Bit macabre but scientifically interesting, here's a pic of a baboon's hand I took in Zim, they diverged from us a lot more recently than cats and bears ancestor's did from each other.

 

[Ardent]

Well the pics are interesting, but if you're saying the cat skull measures 25", then I'm suggesting that is a 'dink' black bear skull...

Smidge over 19", nothing interesting, but typical.

 

[Ardent]

500 lbs in cattle country. Most should be a bit leaner than that. Still, not something you want to run into on your way back from the outhouse.

They go up to 550 on the savannah (or beef fed outside Etosha or the like as you point out), but only the brutes naturally, mine was a bit over 200kgs / 450lbs. Still big compared to your average black bear, and a hell of a lot leaner and meaner at that weight than a bear. The acrobatics a lion does when hit was enough to impress the difference between bears and cats upon me.

Pound for pound, my money's on the lion, mature coastal grizz vs lion? I think the bear could take the punishment and crush the cat ultimately. Either will do us in.

 

[WhelanLad]

You aint seen Drop bear skull ay?

found a drop bear skull inside a Dingo once.
"that dingo took my drop bear"
WL