Nice Tigon

Hey kids. I learned something new today. Do you want to know what I learned?

LigerLigers are real! Yes, Napoleon’s favorite animal, bred for their skills in magic, can be seen at the Sierra Safari Zoo near Reno. It’s a little bit of a drive for me but if I’m ever in the neighborhood I’ll definitely stop by.

Ligers are a cross between a tiger and a lion. When the father is a lion and the mother is a tiger they create a liger. When the father is a tiger and the mother is a lion the cat is called a tigon. Seriously.

Known ligers exist due to human influence, either by deliberate human intervention, or by humans putting lions and tigers in enclosed spaces together. In natural conditions tigers and lions generally do not inhabit the same territory – the two species coexist in the wild today only in the Gir forest of India although their respective ranges used to intersect in Persia, China and perhaps also Beringia. Even where they do coexist, there have been no confirmed reports of interbreeding, though there are long-standing claims that this has happened.

Ligers grow much larger than tigers or lions. This is because female lions and male tigers transmit a growth-inhibiting gene to their descendants. Being the offspring of a male lion and female tiger, the liger does not have the growth-inhibiting gene and grows much more. They will grow constantly through their lifespan until their bodies can no longer sustain their size.

People with certain types of giantism have the same issues of unsustainable growth. Poor André.


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6 responses to “Nice Tigon”

  1. Matt Ahlswede Avatar
    Matt Ahlswede

    What’s going on? Haven’t heard from you in a long time, not really that suprising though, drop me a line.

  2. Tulsa Avatar
    Tulsa

    Mandi I dunno about the Zoo having those but I certainly saw a Unicorn at the Wild Animal Park and a Mermaid at Sea World!!!

  3. laura Avatar
    laura

    another reason to absolutely love napoleon dynamite. where do you come up with this stuff mr?

  4. Spanky McDoogle Avatar

    I would hate to see one of those bad boys (or girls) in the wild somewhere.

    Seriously.

  5. Jason Avatar
    Jason

    I think unicorns are pretty sweet.

  6. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    Hey Dirk, I forgot to tell you that the San Diego zoo has a unicorn and a minataur.