Ligers are the more prominently bred among the two, reason being that they usually tend to outgrow their parents in size and are more majestic. A Liger is thus a cross between a male lion and a tigress. Ligers have been sucessfully bred at zoos at several locations, China being the forerunner. Ligers will usually have a mere symbolic mane inherited from the father and a combination of spots and stripes. Spots are also derived from the father since lions have genes for spots. The dominance of the lion in the offspring is usually common.These are photos of a liger bred in captivity and those of two liger cubs:
Liger families are also known to have been raised in healthy conditions in zoos.
Tigons on the other hand were more popular earlier but are rarely bred now. The Tigon is a cross between a male tiger and a lioness. Not much has been known about this species and the characteristics of the offspring also vary. This species however is comparable in size to the parents and may have lost its popularity over the Ligons.
