Liger

What is a liger?
A liger is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. They are the largest living cats, often obtaining a weight that can exceed 1,200 pounds (545 kg). They stand approximately 3 feet (91 cm) st the shoulder. Body length from tip of nose to base of tail is 8 to 9 feet ( 2.5 to 2.7 meters), and the tail is typically about three feet (91 cm) long. Ligers tend to have a large head, marked with spots. (The spots are from their lion heritage. Lions are technically spotted cats even though their spots usually disappear while they are cubs.) The form of the head can vary from a heavy angular form like a lion, to a huge, rounded form like a bear. �Male� ligers often have a light brown mane that is somewhat scruffier than a lion�s. The mane fur is soft like a tiger�s body fur. The body has a lion-like even brown color, with tiger-like brown stripes that grow more pronounced towards the hindquarters and back legs. The body fur is also soft, like a tiger. The tail terminates in a brown tassel, like that of a lion. Like most big cats, ligers have round ears that can be pivoted at various angles. The eyes are brown, and have round pupils. Our liger Hobbs currently weighs about 900 pounds (409 kg). A cross between a male tiger and a female lion is called a Tigon. These cats are much less common, as it is considerably more difficult to get a tiger to mate with a lioness than the other way around. Unlike a liger, these cats are typically small, about the size of a small tiger.

Natural history of the liger
Although thought to be a 100 percent man-made hybrid, there is one mention of a liger-like cat observed in the wild around the city of Singapore sometime in the last century. Although this is the only mention of wild ligers, there are a fair number of reports of wild lion-leopard crosses. Interest in hybrid big cats seems to have started sometime around 1900. A number of different hybrid species were produced, although ligers seemed to predominate. Germany and Japan seemed to be doing most of this breeding, but there are well-documented reports of big cat hybrids in Britian and the US. One person in particular, the zookeeper and animal trainer Carl Hagenbeck Sr. did a fair amount of work with hybrid big cats. He worked in Germany, Britian and the US. Although there have never been large numbers of these cats, ligers have been bred ever since, mostly by accident, but occasionally on purpose. At any given time, there are probably 30-50 ligers in the world. Hobbs was born by accident, and was once the smallest of a litter of five. Ligers inherit the growth-promoting gene from both parents. This is why they grow so large. In fact, most ligers have to be on a diet, as they can easily outgrow their frame. Before the zoo staff was aware of this, Hobbs reached an estimated weight of 1,200 pounds (545 kg). Through a fairly strict diet, we have been able to keep his weight down to a healthy 900 pounds (409 kg) or so.

Liger behavior
Ligers routinely show both their lion and their tiger personalities. They can make lion vocalizations like hums and roars. (Hobbs would often roar, sometimes joining the lions when they roar.) They more frequently make tiger vocalizations, like chuffing. Ligers are observed to love water like tigers.

Feeding time
Ligers as you would expect, have a huge appetite. We feed our big cats a commercially prepared feline diet.