Pronunciation: [lˈa͡ɪd͡ʒə] (IPA) 
The word "liger" is spelled with a "g" at the end despite being a hybrid animal of a lion and a tiger. The reason for this is because the word is a portmanteau of "lion" and "tiger," and the "g" is added to maintain the sound of the "g" in "tiger." The phonetic transcription of "liger" is /ˈlaɪɡər/ with a long "i" sound and a soft "g" sound. This spelling is unique to the English language and is not used in other languages.
A liger is a term used to describe an extremely rare hybrid crossbreed between a male lion (Panthera leo) and a female tiger (Panthera tigris). It is considered the largest known cat species, surpassing the size of both its parents. The word "liger" is a combination of the words "lion" and "tiger," symbolizing its mixed heritage.
Ligers display physical characteristics from both lion and tiger parentage. They possess a lion's tawny coloration, variously patterned with stripes inherited from their tiger parent, although these are often faint and not as distinct as a tiger's. They showcase a broad head with tufted ears, shorter manes, and a powerful, elongated body structure usually resembling the lion more than the tiger. Male ligers exhibit a strikingly muscular physique, showcasing their enormous size.
Due to the significant size difference between male lions and female tigers, ligers often grow larger than both their parents, reaching exceptional lengths of 10 to 12 feet and weighing up to 900 pounds or more. These magnificent creatures possess a gentle temperament, known for maintaining qualities of both parent species. They are mainly found in captivity, as lion and tiger populations do not naturally overlap in the wild, making liger sightings exceedingly rare. Ligers are considered a prime example of hybrid vigor, highlighting the remarkable diversity that can emerge from the merging of two distinct species.
The word "liger" is a portmanteau, which means it combines two existing words to create a new one. In this case, "liger" combines "lion" and "tiger", as ligers are a hybrid offspring resulting from the breeding of a male lion and a female tiger. The term "liger" was coined around the 1930s as a way to describe this specific crossbreed.
