In the Indian subcontinent, Bengal tigers often interact with mugger crocodiles, the most widespread of crocodilians in the area.
The mugger is a medium-sized reptile that is said to grow to around 4-5 m (13-16 feet) in length, and to weigh around 40-200 kg (88-440 lbs). Being a crocodile, it is indeed a natural-born killer, equipped with powerful jaws that can grab and hold prey as large as deer. Add to that, it’s an ambush predator, like all crocodilians, since it waits for its quarry to come to it – sure enough, the croc waits camouflaged in the murky water to strike in the suitable moment.
But despite its strength, the mugger is no match for the tiger. There have been numerous accounts of tigers attacking (and killing) even large crocs (see above), usually when the reptiles found themselves out of the water and venturing onto land – thus, out of their element –; in fact, the reptiles are vulnerable to attacks even in the water, since tigers are among the few big cats to be adept swimmers.
Weighing at 220 kg (485 lbs), the tiger is bigger, stronger, more agile, faster and smarter than its opponent, and it’s equipped with the largest canines of any big cat and one of the strongest bite forces of all carnivores. Thus, the cat, which earns its title as the King of the Indian jungles and the ultimate apex predator in the region, makes short work in killing even the largest of crocs.
However, this is the case of mugger crocodiles. On the other hand, saltwater crocs, which also survive in India, are the biggest of all living reptiles, growing to around 20 feet or more (6 meters) and weighing around 400–1000 kg (881-2200 lbs). In fact, a 15-foot (4 meters) long saltie once attacked and killed a tiger in the swamps of West Bengal.
To sum it all up, the outcome in a fight between a tiger and a crocodile depends upon the strength of our contestants, as well as the species of croc.
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