Editing Liger (section)

==Size and growth==
The liger is often believed to be the largest cat in the world.<ref name=Xixiaku/> Males reach a total length of {{cvt|3|to|3.6|m}} and can reach a weight of 1100 pounds,<ref name="krypto">[http://bestiarium.kryptozoologie.net/artikel/liger-die-grosten-raubkatzen-der-welt/ Description of ligers at ''Bestiarium.kryptozoologie.net'']</ref><ref name="lair">[http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/ligers.html Description of ligers at ''Lairweb.org.nz'']</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=says |first=Paul |date=2012-09-06 |title=Liger - the largest cat in the world {{!}} DinoAnimals.com |url=https://dinoanimals.com/animals/liger-the-largest-cat-in-the-world/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=dinoanimals.com |language=en-US}}</ref> which means that they rival even large male lions and tigers in length.<ref name="Mazak">[[Vratislav Mazák]]: ''Der Tiger''. Westarp Wissenschaften; Auflage: 5 (April 2004), unveränd. Aufl. von 1983 {{ISBN|3-89432-759-6}}</ref> [[Genomic imprinting|Imprinted genes]] may be a factor contributing to the large size of ligers.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/growth-dysplasia.htm | title=Growth dysplasia in hybrid big cats | access-date=23 June 2006}}</ref> These are genes that may or may not be expressed on the parent they are inherited from, and that occasionally play a role in issues of hybrid growth. For example, in some dog breed crosses, genes that are expressed only when maternally-inherited cause the young to grow larger than is typical for either parent breed. This growth is not seen in the paternal breeds, as such genes are normally "counteracted" by genes inherited from the female of the appropriate breed.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.hhmi.org/news/tilghman.html | title=HHMI News: Gene Tug-of-War Leads to Distinct Species | access-date=23 June 2006 | author=Howard Hughes Medical Institute | author-link=Howard Hughes Medical Institute | date=30 April 2000}}</ref>

Other [[big cat]] hybrids can reach similar sizes; the litigon, a rare hybrid of a male lion and a female tigon, is roughly the same size as the liger, with a male named Cubanacan (at the [[Alipore Zoo]] in India) reaching {{cvt|363|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/hyb-tigon.htm |title=Tigon |publisher=messybeast.com |access-date=21 July 2010 }}</ref> The extreme rarity of these second-generation hybrids may make it difficult to ascertain whether they are larger or smaller, on average, than the liger.

It is sometimes wrongly believed that ligers continue to grow throughout their lives because of hormonal issues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://sodredge.tripod.com/liger.htm|title=Liger|website=sodredge.tripod.com|access-date=21 February 2020}}</ref> It may be that they simply grow far more during their growing years and take longer to reach their full adult size. Further growth in shoulder height and body length is not seen in ligers over six years old, as in both lions and tigers. Male ligers also have the same levels of [[testosterone]] on average as an adult male lion, yet are [[Azoospermia|azoospermic]] in accordance with [[Haldane's rule]].<!--Hagenbeck --> In addition, female ligers may also attain great size, weighing approximately {{cvt|320|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} and reaching {{cvt|3.05|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} long on average, and are often fertile. In contrast, [[pumapard]]s (hybrids between [[Cougar|pumas]] and [[leopard]]s) tend to exhibit [[dwarfism]].

Ligers are about the same size as the prehistoric ''[[Smilodon|Smilodon populator]]'' and [[American lion]].

===Records===
[[File:Ligertrainer.jpg|thumb|Hercules the liger and his trainer [[Bhagavan Antle]]]]

Hercules, the largest non-obese liger, is recognised by the ''[[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of World Records]]'' as the largest living cat on Earth, weighing {{cvt|418.2|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-living-cat |title = Largest living cat |access-date = 2022-09-10 |date = 2022 |publisher = Guinness World Records}}</ref><ref name=Hercules>{{Cite news|url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/hercules-liger-worlds-largest-cat-photos_n_3920158.html|title = Hercules, 922-Pound Liger, Is The World's Largest Living Cat (PHOTOS)|work = [[The Huffington Post]]|access-date = 31 January 2015}}</ref> Hercules was featured on the ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]'', ''[[Good Morning America]]'', ''[[Anderson Cooper 360]]'', ''[[Inside Edition]]'', and in a ''[[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]'' article in 2005, when he was only three years old and already weighed {{cvt|408.25|kg}}.

The Valley of the Kings Animal Sanctuary in [[Wisconsin]] had a male liger named Nook who weighed over {{cvt|550|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=ligerfacts2016/><ref name="LigerWorldNook">{{cite web |work=Liger World |title=Liger Nook - Liger Profile |url=http://www.ligerworld.com/nook-the-liger.html |access-date=23 April 2018}}</ref>

To compare, the records for the lion and tiger [[Captive animal|in captivity]] are under {{cvt|1100|lbs}}.<ref name="Wood1983">{{cite book |last=Wood |first=G. L. |year=1983 |title=The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats |publisher=Sterling Publishing |isbn=978-0-85112-235-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofan00wood }}</ref><ref name="LSPC1941">{{cite news |publisher=Leonard Scott Publishing Company |title=The Nineteenth Century and After |volume=130 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ylEQAAAAIAAJ&q=Samson,+1,000-pound+African |year=1941 |access-date=17 March 2018}}</ref>