The undisputed king of the African savanna, the lion commands respect with a bone-crushing bite force and claws that can shred steel-drum lids. Hunting in coordinated prides, a male lion's 550-pound frame and thunderous roar can be heard from five miles away. Few animals dare challenge this apex predator on its home turf.

The largest and most powerful of the big cats, the Bengal tiger is a 600-pound ambush specialist that strikes from the shadows with surgical precision. Its jaws deliver a bite force of 1,050 PSI—enough to crush bone like chalk—and it hunts entirely alone, needing neither pack nor pride. Where the lion rules through reputation, the tiger earns its crown through sheer, solitary violence.