Liger vs Tigon: What's the Difference?
A liger has a lion father and a tiger mother and grows bigger than both; a tigon has a tiger father and a lion mother and is no bigger than its parents. Weight: liger males up to about 500 kg; tigon often around 180 kg.
Common questions
Which is bigger, a liger or a tigon?
The liger. It grows bigger than both its parents, with males up to about 500 kg; a tigon grows no bigger than its parents and is often around 180 kg.
Do ligers and tigons live in the wild?
No, both exist only in captivity. Lion and tiger ranges overlap only in India's Gir National Park, and no ligers have been found there.
Can ligers and tigons have cubs?
The females can. Male ligers and male tigons are sterile, but female ligers and tigons can breed.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues above.
| Question | Liger | Tigon |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | Yes | Yes |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Liger | Tigon |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Worldwide | Worldwide |
| Size differs | Huge | Large |
| Length differs | Males 3–3.6 m in total | – |
| Weight differs | Males up to about 500 kg; females about 320 kg | Often around 180 kg |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives differs | In groups | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 13–18 years | 15–20 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Liger
The hybrid of a male lion and a female tiger, and the largest living cat. It is tawny like a lion with faint tiger stripes, likes swimming like a tiger and is sociable like a lion. Ligers exist only in captivity; male ligers are sterile, but females can breed.
Tigon
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.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Commonly confused animals.