The hybrid of a male tiger and a lioness. It can have both spots from its mother and stripes from its father, and males grow at most a short, ruff-like mane. Unlike the liger it grows no bigger than its parents. Tigons exist only in captivity.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Yes
As big as its parents, lions and tigers, and both of those kill people.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
ColoursTan, Brown
SizeLarge
WeightOften around 180 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for15–20 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Only in captivity, because lion and tiger habitats do not overlap in the wild today.
Did you know
A tiger crossed with a lioness; unlike the liger, it grows no bigger than its parents.
Male tigons are sterile, but females can breed: a tigoness at India's Alipore Zoo had seven cubs with a lion.
One of those cubs, a "litigon" named Cubanacan, weighed at least 363 kg.
Often confused with
- Liger
A tigon has a tiger father and a lion mother; a liger is the reverse cross and grows much bigger, often 320–550 kg.
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