ROYC75
06-16-2005, 11:24 AM
The 10ft Liger who's still growing...
He looks like something from a prehistoric age or a fantastic
creation from Hollywood. But Hercules is very much living flesh and
blood - as he proves every time he opens his gigantic mouth to roar.
Part lion, part tiger, he is not just a big cat but a huge one,
standing 10ft tall on his back legs. Called a liger, in reference to
his crossbreed parentage, he is the largest of all the cat species.
On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or
chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting. At just
three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.
He is the accidental result of two enormous big cats living close
together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in
Miami, Florida, and already dwarfs both his parents. "Ligers are
not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr
Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large
enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys
was getting along with a tiger girl, then lo and behold we had a
liger."
50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard
of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible
for lions and tigers to mate. Not only are they enemies likely to
kill one another, but most lions are in Africa and most tigers in
Asia. But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers
have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since
shortly before World War II.
Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world
and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and
lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more
physical characteristics of the tiger.
Famous cross-breeds
Look at the size of the head on this thing.. )
Pics to follow.......... :)
He looks like something from a prehistoric age or a fantastic
creation from Hollywood. But Hercules is very much living flesh and
blood - as he proves every time he opens his gigantic mouth to roar.
Part lion, part tiger, he is not just a big cat but a huge one,
standing 10ft tall on his back legs. Called a liger, in reference to
his crossbreed parentage, he is the largest of all the cat species.
On a typical day he will devour 20lb of meat, usually beef or
chicken, and is capable of eating 100lb at a single setting. At just
three years old, Hercules already weighs half a ton.
He is the accidental result of two enormous big cats living close
together at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, in
Miami, Florida, and already dwarfs both his parents. "Ligers are
not something we planned on having," said institute owner Dr
Bhagavan Antle. "We have lions and tigers living together in large
enclosures and at first we had no idea how well one of the lion boys
was getting along with a tiger girl, then lo and behold we had a
liger."
50mph runner... Not only that, but he likes to swim, a feat unheard
of among water-fearing lions. In the wild it is virtually impossible
for lions and tigers to mate. Not only are they enemies likely to
kill one another, but most lions are in Africa and most tigers in
Asia. But incredible though he is, Hercules is not unique. Ligers
have been bred in captivity, deliberately and accidentally, since
shortly before World War II.
Today there are believed to be a handful of ligers around the world
and a similar number of tigons, the product of a tiger father and
lion mother. Tigons are smaller than ligers and take on more
physical characteristics of the tiger.
Famous cross-breeds
Look at the size of the head on this thing.. )
Pics to follow.......... :)