Tigon or Tiglon – Panthera tigris & Panthera leo

The tigon and ligre are hybrid animals: ligre from a lion and tiger mother father, tigon from a tiger father and a mother lioness.

Currently, the coupling between the two species is prohibited in zoos in most countries.

The female tigon can only reproduce with a tiger, because the hybrids can breed with animals of the species from which they originate.

The tigons may exhibit characteristics of both parents: they can have both spots from the mother (lions carry genes for spots – lion cubs are spotted) with father streaks. The mane of a male always seem shorter and less apparent than that of a lion and is closer to the short mane of the male tiger. A common misconception but said that would tigons are smaller than lions or tigers. They do not exceed the size of their parents because they inherit them inhibitors of growth genes, but they show no signs of dwarfism or miniaturization; they often weigh around 150 kilos.

The tigon is not fertile. The tigon lives about 12 years, but some live longer as tigon Beauval who died at 22 years.

It can eat up to 25 kg of meat every day.

The relative scarcity of tigers is often attributed to tigers who find the behavior of a lioness in heat too complicated and can not notice in its behavior signals that indicate its willingness to mate. Yet the lionesses actively solicit their partner, so that the current scarcity of tigons probably comes from the fact that their size are less impressive than tigers.