Ligers and Tigons oh my!

[ScottishKevin]

I wasn't a big fan of the movie. I didn't really understand it. I was thinking- "What is the actual point of this movie?".. Perhaps there was a hidden agenda but I somehow don't think so.

[Shaun]

Hi i am doing a biology report about the hybrids from lions and tigers (Tigons and Ligers). I was wondering if you guys could help me find some websites and books on the topic. Also i need the DNA reason why they can still interbreed and the evolutionary tree for both.

The best source for this topic and understandiing of why these two seemingly distinct animals can interbreed is the Bible. In Genesis chapters 7 and 8, you will note that God told Noah He would bring two of every "kind" of animal to Him to be put onto the ark. Our modern classification system is too broad and does not do justice to the biblical view of animals and there relations to one another. The reason they can interbreed is that they came fom one "kind" of cat (canine Genus) originally brought onto the ark. They have not evolved differently, but are merely different examples of genetic potential from the DNA of the original kind of cat.

[Shaun]

Here's the first paragraph. The rest is 7 pages with bib and footnotes. If you want to read the rest e-mail me and i'll send you a copy. Didn't want to take up that much space in the forum. You can cite the report but don't forget to mention my name Inuyasha.

The Importance of Hybrids

Hybrids like ligers and tigons that live in hybrid zones are less fit, but act as safeguards from extinction of pure species like tigers and lions. Hybrids form when two different species mate where their mating zones cross (Purves 490). This mating zone is called a hybrid zone (Purves 491). To produce a hybrid, chromosomes from both parents need to pair off evenly during meiosis (Guynup 3). Given the chance, lions and tigers can breed and form fertile hybrids, ligers and tigons. Ligers and tigons show blended traits, from social lion behavior to independent tiger behavior (Green Apple). Hybrids’ importance is generally disregarded and ignored by everyday people (Barton 134). Tigon isn’t even a word in English . Hybrids lack Genus species names (Mayr 133). However, hybrids have special importance to evolution; hybrids defy extinction and institute safeguards for the survival of pure species. These safeguards exist as part of evolution and speciation. The definition of a species became less general to exclude hybrids (Pw 4). The “potentially reproduction” definition, which has existed since 1943 and up until 1978 (Guynup 3), would lump tigers and lions as one species because they can successfully produce a fertile offspring (Pw 3). Hybrids’ existence is bewildering. Hybrids are less fit; often they are sterile, more susceptible to diseases, and live shorter (Lemmon 177). Nonetheless, hybrids help species’ survival (Jiggins 3). Evolution, speciation in particular, has bended to produce a safeguard that protects species from extinction.

Just curious, but how can interbreeding be linked to evolution? If they have always been able to interbreed, then where did evolution come in to play? Again, I believe they were always able to interbreed, but as you have observed the hybrids are less suitable to live, so that may explain why in the wild we do not see these as often! That's not evolution, but survival of the fittest. A completely different concept.

[Inuyasha]

ahh, hmm. evolution is survival of the fittest is it not. Correct me if i'm wrong. But a population "evovles" when different traits go in and out of the gene pool. The frequency of these genes depedn on who well each organism in the population survives and therefore reproduces. So hmmm.

[Inuyasha]

and the movie really doesn't make any sense that's probably why the movie was so funny. I mean no one really would laugh at a national geographic presentation of ligers and tigons.

I think that soon scientists will decided to give a genus species name to all hybrids.

[Inuyasha]

Done High school. just thought u would want to know. Party. I'm going cross country to try to find a liger any suggestions./??

[Inuyasha]

ahh, college. I'm trying to find a prof with interest in this subject. Does anyone kno one or perhaps is one.

[mnt]

Sorry if im a bit late on the bandwagon but I'm new so i guess that excuses me ...

anyone seen napoleon dynamite?

Deb: What are you drawing?

Napoleon Dynamite: A liger.

Deb: What's a liger?

Napoleon Dynamite: It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

ligers are animals that have been mixed between a tiger and a lion. I think that they should mate naturally with no interferance

[Inuyasha]

LOL, i thougth this topic had died, but i love seeing it back on the top, or near it. So read my paper, I know it's somewhere in this topic. And yes Napoleon Dynimite did make ligers famous. But ligers do have trouble mating, especially the males who are almost always sterile, meaning they can not produce offspring. But females however can. That's where you get li-tigons li-ligers ti-ligers and the rarest and my favorite ti-tigons.

[Inuyasha]

oh ok i found my complete paper
its at


http://www.biology-online.org/biology-forum/about98-48.html

or my website under papers, should be easy enough to find. READ it than we can talk.

[tropicbirder]

Wow... That's really excellent and informative. I wasn't aware of how hybrids inherit both their parents' genes even for instincts like love of water. I also think the details about Ligers losing their stripes and tigons getting more stripes is fascinating. Why does that happen? Is it known? Do wild tigers get more stripes as they grow older?

[Inuyasha]

genes, genes and more genes. alleles locis and much more. Maybe after my gene class next semesdter I'll be able to tell u more about it.