Atlas the Barbary lion versus the Bengal tiger of Simla its subspecies, was "the largest or most formidable of all African felidae", and therefore, that it was bigger than the Asiatic lion. However, it is not unanimously held that the Barbary and Cape lions were the largest lions (See "Physical comparison of tigers and lions"). Nevertheless, an English Colonel called 'Maitland', who supported the tiger, described the lion as a 'monster'. Both were hungry, as their diets had been reduced from their regular intake of food, beforehand. "Gettysburg Compiler" (1899) said "If the tiger was the personification of graceful strength and supple energy, the lion was the embodiment of massive
Apex predator Apex predator An apex predator, also known as an alpha predator or top predator, is a predator at the top of a food chain, with no natural predators. Apex predators are usually defined in terms of trophic dynamics, meaning that they occupy the highest trophic levels. Food chains are often far shorter on land, usually limited to being secondary consumers – for example, wolves prey mostly upon large herbivores (primary consumers), which eat plants (primary producers). The apex predator concept is applied in wildlife management, conservation and ecotourism. Apex predators have a long evolutionary history, dating at least to the