What do lions and tigers have in common?

Answer 1

On a very basic level, lions and tigers are both felines. They are "big cats", two of the four large species within the genus Panthera, sitting alongside the leopard and the jaguar.

Both are vulnerable species hunted for their pelts. However, lions have a yellowish fur whereas tigers have very distinct stripes on an orange background. Their face shapes are similar, but male lions have a mane while female lionesses stay bare.

Tigers are the heaviest feline, and lions are the second-heaviest of the two. They are found mostly in Asia, including the Indian subcontinent. Lions are found in Africa and India.

Lionesses are recognized as the main hunters for their packs. Lions go about in groups, but tigers prefer to stay alone. The main diet for lions are wildebeest and zebras. Tigers are known to attack leopards, and old tigers that cannot catch their have even turned into maneaters on occasion. Tigers have killed more people than any other cat. Though they do possess frighteningly sharp teeth, both tigers and lions typically kill their prey using methods of strangulation, clamping down on its neck until it dies. Their relationships with humans are also similar. Lions and tigers are members of the Big Five of game animal hunting, in Africa and Asia, respectively. They are the five most difficult (and dangerous) animals to hunt on foot. Traditionally, 12 subspecies of lions are recognized, and nine for tigers (3 of which are extinct). Only 8 of the 12 lion subspecies exist today.

Lions and tigers can be interbred, along with jaguars and leopards. A male lion with a female tiger is a liger, and a female lion with a male tiger is a less commonly seen tigon. Both lions and tigers have a recessive gene that can produce a 'white' version of their species, with either very pale pelts or white pelts with black stripes.

Answer 2

Members, and wild, of the Cat Family. Hybrids do occur but only in zoos and this is done by artificial insemination. I understand Tiger-Lion cubs were propagated in the Bronx zoo in l9l7, it was in the papers when my Father was born, so they say. Dad was an ardent Princeton fan!