Okay, does anyone remember that scene from “Napoleon Dynamite” where he’s drawing a liger in his notebook because it’s his favorite animal? Believe it or not, ligers are not just something out of his imagination. They are real hybrid animals. 
Unlike Napoleon’s creative rendition, real ligers do not have spikes on their back or a mace for a tail (though admittedly, that would be pretty cool). A liger is the hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. As we have already learned in previous posts, lions and tigers do not live in the same regions of the world so ligers are not found in the wild.
Ligers are massive animals. They have a condition known as gigantism, which means they lack a growth-inhibiting gene and continue to grow for much of their lives. Because of this, ligers quickly outgrow both of their parents and are often considered the biggest cat in the world. They often reach over 10 feet long (3 meters) and weigh about half a ton. The largest liger, who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, is named Hercules and weighs over 900 pounds (408 kg).
photo by Mirror
Okay, so size alone makes these animals very impressive. But quite frankly, they make me very sad. Like with other hybrid animals, ligers are prone to genetic defects. Most die prematurely and the ones that survive to adulthood are often unable to reproduce due to being sterile. Producing ligers is also a danger to the tiger mother. Liger cubs are so large at birth that a C-section is necessary. Since the 19the century, these animals have been bred solely for the amusement of people. There is no conservation-related reason for them to exist. The breeding of ligers has been banned in many zoos in order to support to continued conservation of lions and tigers as separate species.
photo by Nat Geo Wild
Please follow Bring Back Big Cats to be notified about future posts! If you have any questions about ligers or big cat conservation, leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to answer it.
Build a Boma update: I know it’s only been two weeks, but I wanted to let you know how we’re doing. We’ve raised a total of $45. Just under 10% of our $500 goal. If you are interested in reducing human-wildlife conflict, click here.
Next time: We’re moving on to South America’s spotted beauty, the jaguar!
Bring Back Big Cats 
It is so refreshing to see a well written article, properly explaining hybrids to the public. I am so sick of the usual publicity promoting the breeding of hybrids and animals such as white tigers. Keep up the good work.
A small cat conservationist.
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