Ligers, Tigons, and Bears, oh my!

White liger by Dwarf4r.deviantart.com

Okay, not bears...not today anyway! We are still exploring the big cats and since we’ve been discovering tigers, let me introduce you to the liger and the tigon!*

The liger and the tigon are half tiger and half lion. But to be a liger the mother has to be a tiger and the father has to be a lion.  The opposite is true of the tigon.  


So what is the difference between the two?

Actually, there’s a BIG difference. And that difference includes size!  You remember that the largest big cat is the tiger, right? Well, a large tiger can weigh about 750 lbs.  A liger can weigh 1000 lbs.  


Take a look at Hercules, above. The liger is the biggest big cat of all!

The tigon is more like a tiger in size and coloration.

But there’s more. The cubs of a tigon crossed with a tiger are known as ti-tigons. and and a lion/tigon cross is a li-tigon!  


Want to know more? Here’s a great link to ti-tigons and li-ligers!

* Also known as tiglon and tion