Ligers
A liger is the offspring of a lion father and a tiger mother. This is an entirely man-made animal, they do not exist in the wild - because lions and tigers live on different continents, so this would not occur naturally.
No official scientific name exists for hybrid animals such as these, though ligers are occasionally referred to in a light-hearted manner as Panthera leo/tigris.
Ligers share characteristics of both their parents. Physically, they more closely physically resemble the father, which is the dominant gene, for example, ligers more closely resemble a lion, whereas the father is a lion – with Tigons (where the father is a tiger) – they will more closely physically resemble a tiger.
They usually chuff like a tiger and roar like a lion, but without giving the typical lion grunt at the end. Their vocabulary is made up both of lion and tiger sounds.
The liger pelage usually has the typical tan lion coloring, with tiger 'candle flame' shaped stripes or spots running through it. Most typically, the striping is located across the back and hindquarters, while the abdominal area is spotted. These spots are inherited from the lion parent, even though they are not normally obvious in adult lions. (Spotting can be seen on lion cubs and helps with concealment in the wild. Very occasionally, adult lions will retain these).
On ligers, tiger ear spots may or may not be present and the same applies to the tiger facial ruff.
(source:googe/http://wildlifewaystation.org)
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