Liger Article Based on the Style of National Geographic Kids

Ligers: Hybrids and the Ultimate Cat
By Homeschool Student, J

http://www.hemmy.net/2006/06/19/top-10-hybrid-animals/

                Lions and Tigers and…Ligers? Oh my! Ligers are the most well-known hybrid in the current animal hybrid community. They are larger than a lion or a tiger and have features of both! They are not native to any part of the world, though, as they are bred entirely in captivity. Now, let’s explore what makes these cats so unique.

A DIFFERENT BREED

                Ligers are a cross between a female tiger and a male lion. The lion and tiger did not breed in the wild.  Ligers are created when geneticists artificially breed a female tiger and a male lion together. But what’s the difference between a liger and a tigon? Tigons are created when geneticists artificially breed a female lioness and a male tiger together. Ligers lack the ferociousness of lions or tigers as they are raised entirely by humans.

A male and a female tigon (cross between a male tiger and a female lion)

http://ambassadors.net/archives/issue14/features3.htm

AGAINST ITS PARENTS

                How do ligers stack up against lions and tigers? Well, ligers are much larger than the two. A tiger can jump ten to twelve feet in the air, but a liger gets to that height without its back paws leaving the ground! Ligers haven’t ever been in the wild, and their incredible size would be their worst enemy as they would tire more quickly than lions or tigers.  But, ligers do have massive teeth and claws larger than that of a lion or a tiger. Because ligers have never been in the wild, they cannot yet hold the title of ultimate cat.

http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2007/04/world-largest-liger.html



Size Matters

http://www.topnews.in/two-leopards-rescued-siliguri-2170599

What Do You Think?

                So what do you think about ligers? They’re bred unnaturally through humans combining big cat DNA! How do you stand on humans creating new, unnatural species of animals? Those animals cannot be released into the wild and cannot reconnect with their wild roots.  Is it wrong to create ligers, tigons, ti-ligers, li-tigons, etc? It’s an ethical preference that varies from person to person.

Wrapping It Up

                Ligers are massive, captivity-only hybrids. They are twice as large as a lion or a tiger, and this size makes it impossible for a liger to survive in the wild and hunt like a regular lion or tiger would. They definitely wouldn’t be able to climb a tree like a leopard without taking down the tree with them. Is it right to artificially breed ligers? It’s your call there, but one thing’s for certain: ligers cannot hold the title of the ultimate big cat…yet.

http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2007/04/world-largest-liger.html



               But what about ligers vs. leopards? Leopards are the smallest of the three big cats, so how would they do against a liger? Leopards can drag prey weighing more than its own body weight (leopards weigh about 130 pounds) up a tree! Why do they have to do this? Because leopards are the smallest of the three big cats, they need to be able to eat their prey away from the contest: lions and tigers. But could ligers scale a tree? Again, it’s their immense size that limits them from existing well in the wild. And, ligers can weigh 1000 pounds.  That tree couldn’t stand a chance!