A Liger??????

What is a liger??It is the final product of crossing a male lion and a tigress. The liger is not to be confused with the tigon which the crossbreed of a male tiger and a lioness. The liger is the largest of all cats and extant felines. A liger looks more like a giant lion with diffused stripes and it is known that some male ligers grow sparse manes. These massive creatures are on average 10 feet long and weigh approximately 700 lb (320kg). The history of ligers dates to at least the early 19th century in Asia. A painting of two liger cubs was made by Michael Isasi (1772−1844). In 1825, G.B. Whittaker made an engraving of liger cubs born in 1824. The parents and their three liger offspring are also depicted with their trainer in a 19th Century painting in the naïve style. Ligers love swimming - trait common to tigers but lacking in lions. Ligers have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since shortly before World War II. The largest non-obese liger alive today is appropriately named Hercules and lives in Jungle Island in Miami. Hercules weighing in at 900 lbs and eating approximately 20 pounds of meat a day is truly a beautiful giant.( The picture of the liger is Hercules and his trainer Dr. Bhagavan Antle)