Tigon

Tigon
Tigon at National Zoo & Aquarium in Canberra, Australia
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Subfamily:	Pantherinae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. tigris♂ × P. leo♀

The tigon is a hybrid offspring of a male tiger (Panthera tigris) and a female lion, or lioness (Panthera leo).^[1] They exhibit visible characteristics from both parents: they can have both spots from the mother (lions carry genes for spots – lion cubs are spotted and some adults retain faint markings) and stripes from the father. Any mane that a male tigon may have will appear shorter and less noticeable than a lion's mane and is closer in type to the ruff of a male tiger.

Tigons do not exceed the size of their parent species because they inherit growth-inhibitory genes from both parents, but they do not exhibit any kind of dwarfism or miniaturization; they often weigh around 180 kg (400 lb). It is distinct from the liger, which is a hybrid of a male lion and a female tiger, often weighing from 320 kg (710 lb) to 550 kg (1,210 lb). ^{[citation needed]}