Size of the Ligers

Ligers have the maximum size among all present day big cats in the world. Ligers easily outweigh two of the largest big cats i.e., tigers and lions. However; it is not the weight factor that increases the size of the ligers. Ligers have biggest length, longest height and huge overall body structure than any other big cat species living today on planet earth. Normally; a liger weighs around 800 to 900 pounds. On the other hand; the Siberian Tigers which are the largest big cat species in the world normally weigh around 550 pounds. Similarly; the African Lions which are the second largest big cat species on planet earth normally weigh around 450 to 500 pounds. This clearly shows that ligers almost weigh twice more than lions and tigers. Therefore; if you are measuring the size of the ligers on the basis of their weight; they own the maximum size.

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Similarly; a liger also has the largest size among all the big cats; when it comes to the body length. A liger usually has a body length of around 11 feet long. The body length of a tiger and a lion is normally around 10 feet and 9 feet respectively. Therefore; a liger has the most elongated body length among all the big cats which allows them to attain a huge size. The same is true about the height of the ligers as well. A liger from ground to the tip of its ear is almost 6 feet tall, whereas; both tiger and lion are around 5 feet tall respectively. Therefore; length, height and weight all contribute to the huge size of the ligers as a whole.

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If the size parameter is the weight of an animal, then ligers still lead in this regard. Ligers have been reported to be more than 1000 pounds in weight. A liger in the 19th century was believed to be more than 1700 pounds. But this statement cannot be confirmed as there is no picture of that liger. However, a liger in Wisconsin had a weight of 1600 pounds. So in terms of weight as a size parameter for big cats, ligers are still twice heavier than lions and tigers.

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Overfeeding of the animal to make him weigh more can be highly dangerous as well. In the 20th century majority of the ligers which died at the young ages were the victims of over-feeding. The trainer wanted them to be bigger therefore; they fed them more than their capacity. The result was a high mortality rates among the liger cubs and young ones. According to Dr. Bhagavan Antle who has an experience of about 30 years with the big cats specifically the ligers, the feeding schedule of the ligers is very important. He said in an interview that a liger is capable of eating 100 pounds in a single sitting but that will make him obese. The most balanced diet for the ligers is around 15 to 25 pounds per day and yet on this diet liger will still be 2 times bigger than lion and tiger.

So the bigger size of the liger is because of its genetics and it is not a product of any overfeeding or artificial process.

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Even the head size of the ligers is bigger than that of the tigers and lions. It is 2.5x bigger overall. This means that the size of the ligers is more wider and more longer than that of lions and tigers. This bigger size allows the ligers to exert more bite force of around 1000 pounds, while lions and tigers usually exert a bite force of around 400 pounds at maximum.

The Sun UK. (2010).

Read 99 Facts of Ligers