Tigon
Tigon | |
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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: |
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 kilograms (400 lb). It is distinct from the liger, which is a hybrid of a male lion and a female tiger, often weighing from 320 kilograms (710 lb) to 550 kilograms (1,210 lb). [citation needed]
Fertility
Ligers and tigons were long thought to be
At the
Reports also exist of the similar titigon, resulting from the cross between a female tigon and a male tiger. Titigons resemble golden tigers, but with less contrast in their markings. A tigoness born in 1978, named Noelle, shared an enclosure in the Shambala Preserve with a male Siberian tiger called Anton, due to the keepers' belief that she was sterile. In 1983 Noelle produced a titigon named Nathaniel. As Nathaniel was three-quarters tiger, he had darker stripes than Noelle and vocalized more like a tiger, rather than with the mix of sounds used by his mother. Being only about quarter-lion, Nathaniel did not grow a mane. Nathaniel died of cancer at the age of nine years old. Noelle also developed a severe cancer that killed her not long after she was diagnosed.[citation needed]
Coexistence of parental species
As with the liger, the tigon is found only in captivity,
See also
- Liger
- Liliger
- Carl Hagenbeck
- Felid hybrid
- Leopon
- Hybrid growth disorders
- List of portmanteaus
- Maltese tiger
- Panthera hybrid
References
- ^ Techné v6n3 – Patenting and Transgenic Organisms: A Philosophical Exploration. Scholar.lib.vt.edu. Retrieved on 17 September 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0795001282.
- ^ The litigon rediscovered. www.natureasia.com. Retrieved on 22 July 2017.
- ^ Pocock, R. I. (1939). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1. Taylor and Francis Ltd., London. Pp. 199–222.
- ^ Heptner, V. G.; Sludskij, A. A. (1992) [1972]. Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union. Volume II, Part 2. Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats)]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 1–732.
- ISBN 8173715521.
- ^ "Tired of Gujarat reluctance on Gir lions, MP to release tigers in Kuno". Times of India. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- ^ "Stalemate on translocation of Gir lions Kuno Palpur in Madhya Pradesh to be used as tiger habitat now". Hindustan Times. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
External links
- Detailed Information of hybrid big cats.
- Liger. snopes.com.
- Questions about Animals. Gk12.iastate.edu.