Historically, the comparative merits of the tiger (Panthera tigris) versus the lion (Panthera leo)[3][4] have been a popular topic of discussion by hunters,[5][6] naturalists,[7] artists and poets, and continue to inspire the popular imagination in the present day.[8][9][10][11] In the past, lions and tigers reportedly competed in the wilderness,[12][13] where their ranges overlapped in Eurasia.[3][14] The most common reported circumstance of their meeting is in captivity,[15] either deliberately[9][16] or accidentally.[12][17]