Liger – Hybrid between Panthera tigris and Panthera Leo :

The liger is a feline from the crossing of a lion and a tigress. It is very rare to find in the wild felines hybrid because of the distance, different periods and mating habits of each species.

This cat has a clear red fur adorned with stripes on the sides, tail, legs and face. The male mane is short and grows behind the ears.

The liger like swimming unlike the lion. It enjoys solitude but tolerates little close of another family. It has a very docile character and never fights. The ligers can neither roar nor hiss. They simply emit an indescribable cry.

An adult can measure up ligre 3.50 m and weigh more than 400 kg. It is the largest feline in the world because it can weigh more than the total weight of the parents. This is called “hybrid vigor”. The liger inherited a gene that stimulates growth in the lion. This hereditary functions to boost its development to become a dominant male. The lioness has developed an antigen that hinders this development. For cons, the tiger does not have this antigen therefore growth of the small has no limit. It is because of this genetic anomaly that some specimens can exceed 450 kg. Because of their weight, the ligers often suffer dysplasia. It sometimes happens that the animal suffers from partial paralysis, blindness, deafness or serious neurological disorders.

All males are sterile. The females can breed. If she mates with a tiger, the little one will tiliger if it is with a lion, it will be a liliger.

The liger can eat up to 25 kg of meat at every meal. If this plan is followed, it can live up to 20 years in captivity.

There is worldwide 10 ligers identified. They all live in zoos. The largest specimen recorded in the Guinness record in 2006 called Hercules who weighs 410 kg for a height of 3.60 m.