Features
Adopt an animal!
Do you have a favorite animal? Furry, hairy, scaly or feathered that makes you want to visit it? more
Locate Us
Drop by the Zoological Wildlife Foundation facility and come visit our animal friends. Find out how to locate us here
Home | Animals | Mammals | Felines | Liger
Liger
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus & Species: Panthera
Range: Does not occur naturally in the wild
History of the Liger
The first litter of ligers was born in 1824, in England by accident! The litter consisted of one girl and two boys. After that, there has been many reported litters since the early 1800’s of these creatures. Most Ligers that have been bred, have been by accident.
Ligers in the News!
The most well known Liger is named Hercules and he lives at Jungle Island in Florida. He has guest starred on numerous shows like Good Morning America, The today Show, and 60 minutes.
*DID YOU KNOW? Hercules was at The Zoological Wildlife Foundation before he lived at Jungle Island!
Habitat
Since Ligers are a man-made creation, their “natural habitat” is in that of a zoo or sanctuary. Lions and Tigers would never breed naturally in the wild together because they come from very different areas and would never cross paths.
The difference between Ligers and Tigons
Ligers and Tigons are NOT the same! Ligers are created when a male lion is bred with a female tiger, and Tigons are created when a female lion is bred with a male tiger. Ligers are prone gigantism, this is why Ligers always grow a lot bigger than their parents. Tigons are prone to dwarfism, and this of course means that they stay much smaller.
Fun Facts!
Because the Liger is a mix between a Lion and Tiger, it gets some of the traits from both parents.
Some Ligers are in a constant conflict between being solitary and being in a social group.
Ligers love to swim!
The Liger is the largest of the cat species