Texas Showdown: Who Is Victorious in an Alligator vs. Mountain Lion Battle?

Alligators and mountain lions are two of the most feared apex predators out there. Both animals can grow to great sizes, and both are formidable hunters.

They’re two animals you wonder about on their own, but you rarely think about what they’d do if they were to face off. Probably, because we tend to worry about alligators when we’re walking near swampy wetlands, and we think of mountain lions when we’re higher up in the hills.

Still, these two heavyweights share territories and food sources in Texas. Who would win if they were to have a Texas showdown?

Let’s think about it in terms of a boxing or wrestling match, sizing up both competitors based on some of their most powerful characteristics. We can even think about it with a few theatrics thrown into the mix.

Coming in at 1,380 Pounds…

… ”we have, the Aaaaaaaligatorrrrrr!” (crowd goes wild).

Regarding appearance and style, these two animals couldn’t be much more different. American alligators are crocodilians who live mostly in the southeastern United States, growing to lengths of more than fifteen feet and amassing more than 1,000 pounds in some cases.

The heaviest alligator ever found weighed nearly 1,400 pounds. It was nearly 36 years old when it was killed. These are massive animals, and their size isn’t even the thing that makes them most dangerous.

The most dangerous thing about alligators is their impressive bite force, coming down at just under 3,000-PSI. Only a few animals have a stronger bite than the American alligator, and one of them is the Nile alligator.

Even more terrifying is the fact that alligators can run upwards of 30 miles per hour! They spend most of their time lounging and basking, but an alligator on the hunt can explode with speed. Their bursts of speed are short-lived, but any prey in their scopes is extremely vulnerable within 10 or 15 feet.

In Short

So, alligators are monstrous in size, they have one of the strongest bites of any animal in the world, and they can leap forward at prey at speeds approaching 30 miles per hour. Plus, they camouflage extremely well.

Finally, once the alligator gets you in its grip, your chances of retaliating are diminished by what’s called the “death roll.” The death roll is a tactic used by alligators to dismember, disorient, and kill their prey.

Here’s a slowed-down example of an alligator doing a death roll. The alligator in the video is small, but you can still see the sort of effect it would have on prey.

Now, let’s see how the mountain lion stacks up.

The Mighty Mountain Lion

On the other side of the ring, we’ve got the puma, panther, catamount, or cougar, most commonly known as the mountain lion.

These animals go by many names, and it can get confusing because there are a few other big cats with names that dovetail. “Mountain lion,” however, always refers to the same big cat that roams almost the entirety of The Americas.

Mountain lions are fierce competitors, and they’re exceptionally adaptable. Few animals are capable of standing as de facto apex predators across the expanse of two continents. When the mountain lion encounters other apex predators, it’s often able to out-maneuver them or out-wit them.

In Short

These animals are marvelous blends of physical prowess, graceful movements, and intelligence. These solitary masters occupy large territories, hunting mostly at dusk and dawn.

If they were television wrestlers facing off against opposing alligators in skin-tight latex suits, these big cats would have a clear signature move: the spinal cord snap. Mountain lions are hardwired to go for the neck, puncturing the spinal cord and rendering the victim motionless.

This characteristic is made even more threatening by the fact that mountain lions are exceptionally stealthy. If a person were to be stalked by one, odds are low that they would notice until the lion was ready to strike. Despite weighing a couple of hundred pounds, these cats are careful, precise, and nearly silent.

Still, the alligator is no slouch. This leads us to the big question: who would win in a showdown?

Alligator vs Mountain Lion: Who Would Survive?

Granted that both animals were average-sized, the outcome would depend on the environment.

A full-grown mountain lion has the potential to take out a full-grown alligator and vice versa. However, if a mountain lion attacked an alligator in the water, the alligator would almost certainly win. Alligators are excellent swimmers and their ability to attack, latch, and death roll in the water would give them an advantage over the mountain lion. The mountain lion would almost certainly need to flee the water in order to survive.

Alternatively, a mountain lion would probably win on land. While alligators have incredible bite force, they’re not very nimble. They can burst at high speeds for short periods of time, whereas mountain lions are able to move at high speeds at length. The alligator could come out victorious if it were to land an effective bite, but the land battle would almost always end in favor of the mountain lion.

How The Duel Would Likely Go Down

If these two species were to duel, odds are the duel would happen near the shore of a river or lake. The mountain lion might be strolling the lakeside in search of food when… wham! The alligator explodes out of the water at high speed, lunging at the mountain lion and taking a critical chance at the kill.

If the alligator lands its bite, there’s a good chance it could work its way back into the water with the mountain lion in tow. If the bite doesn’t kill the mountain lion right away and the gator is unable to slink back into the water, the mountain lion would remove itself in order to start its attack.

It might take a few heavy swipes with its meaty paws before attempting to bite down wherever it could, likely around the neck. If the mountain lion’s first bite is effective, the gator likely rolls in an attempt to escape. When that happens, the soft underbelly is exposed and the mountain lion has a chance to do some real damage.

What happens next depends on whether the battle shifts to the water or stays on land. In any case, it’s a marvel that two animals so different can occupy the same habitat, eat the same food, and, occasionally, duke it out in a Texas Showdown.

What’s Next?

• Mountain Lions Location: Where Do Mountain Lions Live?
• Mountain Lions in Texas
• Alligators in Texas: Where They Live
• The Biggest Alligator Ever Found In Texas

The photo featured at the top of this post is ©