Liger

The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion (Panthera leo) and a female tiger (Panthera tigris). Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. It is distinct from the similar hybrid tigon. While the Siberian tiger is the largest pure sub-species, ligers are believed to be the largest of all known extant felines.

Ligers exist only in captivity or zoo because the habitats of the parental species do not overlap in the wild. Historically, when the Asiatic Lion was prolific, the territories of lions and tigers did overlap and there are legends of ligers existing in the wild. Although ligers share characteristics of both from lion and tiger, they more closely resemble the lion, because of the dominant gene. Notably, ligers typically grow larger than either parent species, unlike tigons which tend to be about as large as a female tiger and is the cross between a male tiger and a lioness.

Most ligers suffer from embryonic fatality or premature death, those that survive are often genetically or physically sterile and therefore unable to reproduce and continue their lineage.

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Liger by asith-mohan-mangalore