HYBRID BIG CATS

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http://messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-bigcats.html *HYBRID BIG CATS

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WHAT ARE HYBRID BIG CATS?

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Zoos and menageries once bred exotic-looking hybrid big cats to attract the

public just as hybrid small cats (Bengal, Chausie etc) are now bred as pets.

Hybrids are unlikely in the wild. Where big cat species have overlapping

territories, they usually have different lifestyles and rarely meet. If they

do meet, conflict is more likely than romance. To deliberately breed

hybrids, the parent cats are raised together to overcome any natural enmity

between their species. Some hybrids occur accidentally where different cat

species were housed together for convenience; the keepers did not realise

that the cats would - or even could - mate. The urge to mate can be so

strong that they will mate with each other if there is no available partner

of their own species.

 

The belief that big cats readily inter-mated and produced all manner of

hybrid offspring is found in the writings of Roman author Pliny, in

" Historia Naturalise " . Pliny described the lustful and competitive nature of

lions. Since many species must flock to a single watering hole, there is

opportunity for lust between species, resulting in * " many varieties of

hybrids " .* In " The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication "

Charles Darwin wrote: * " Many species of Felidae have bred in various

menageries, although imported from diverse climates and closely confined.

Mr. Bartlett, the present superintendent of the Zoological Gardens (18/17.

On the Breeding of the Larger Felidae 'Proc. Zoolog. Soc.' 1861 page 140.)

remarks that the lion appears to breed more frequently and to bring forth

more young at a birth than any other species of the family. He adds that the

tiger has rarely bred; " but there are several well-authenticated instances

of the female tiger breeding with the lion. " Strange as the fact may appear,

many animals under confinement unite with distinct species and produce

hybrids quite as freely as, or even more freely than, with their own

species. "

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Unusually for hybrid animals, female big cat hybrids are usually fertile,

though the males are most often sterile. The same is seen in many small cat

hybrids e.g. Asian Leopard Cat x domestic cat where the F1 (first

generation) males are sterile. Due to conservation efforts, deliberate

hybridization is banned in most zoos. It still happens in private

collections, behavioural/reproduction studies institutes and as part of

attempts to breed domestic big cats. A loophole in some laws makes it

illegal to own lions, tigers or leopards, but legal to own hybrids! Although

ligers and tigons are the best known hybrids, lions are more closely related

to jaguars and leopards than to tigers.

 

Some of the information here may also be found in " Mystery Cats of the

World " and assorted articles by Karl Shuker. I am grateful to Paul McCarthy

for library searches researching and providing information on a number of

mammalian hybrids, including those of big cats.

 

<http://www.bigcats.org/>

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LINK EXCHANGE*

 

 

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LEOPON (LEPON)

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Leopons are the offspring of a male leopard and a lioness. They have been

bred in zoos in India, Japan, Germany and Italy (this latter was more

correctly a Lipard - offspring of a lion and leopardess). Karl Hagenbeck,

who produced many different hybrids, recorded the birth of leopons at the

Hamburg Tierpark in Germany, but none survived to maturity. There is also a

report of a natural leopard/lioness mating where a lioness was expelled from

her pride and formed an alliance with a male leopard. When the lioness came

on heat, she was mated by the leopard and allegedly gave birth to leopon

cubs. The Marozi is claimed to be a naturally occurring leopard/lion hybrid.

A leopon " flat study skin and skull " from the Kolhapur Zoo in India (bred in

1910) was donated to the British Museum of Natural History by Lt Col FW

Wodehouse of the Junior United Services sometime before 1940. The more

famous Japanese leopons are preserved as mounted specimens in Japan.

 

The leopon is documented in R I Pocock's letter to The Field of 2nd November

1912 and the 1913-14 Vol. of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History

Society. It refers to three more in Field 1908 April 18, 25, and May 9th.

Judging from the letters, the Indian leopons were born in 1910. Pocock wrote

in November 1912:

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" So far as I am aware there is no published description of a hybrid lion and

leopard. I am greatly indebted, therefore, to Mr W S Millard, the Honorary

Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society, for sending me a skin of a

specimen, which, according to the testimony of Col F W Wodehouse, was bred

in the gardens at Kolhapur between a male panther i.e. a large leopard and a

lioness. There were two cubs in the litter. One, whose skin is here figured,

died when about two and a half months old, whereas the other, now about two

years old is, I believe, still living. At first sight this skin recalls that

of the leopard in being covered with spots; but those on the side of the

body are much smaller and closer set than in typical Indian leopards, and

also browner and altogether less distinct, as if beginning to disappear with

age, as is the case with lions. On the head, down the spine, on the belly

and the legs, they are however quite black and distinct. The tail is very

confusedly spotted above, but striped below, and has a blackish tip covered

with longer hairs. Another leonine feature is the dirty white - rather than

clear white - tint of the underside, while the ears are fawn with a broad,

black bar, but are without the white spot seen in leopards.

 

The nearest approach to this hybrid hitherto reported is the one bred at

Chicago between a male lion and a female cross between a jaguar and a

leopard, the true story of which, accompanied by a good figure by Mr

Frohawk, may be found in the Field for April 18 and 25, and May 9, 1908. The

final episode in the history of that animal has, I believe, not yet been

told. After being exhibited in the Zoological Gardens and at the White City

it went to Glasgow, where, according to a sensational Press notice, it was

killed by a lion, which broke down the partition between the cages and made

short work of its opponent. That this story was of a piece with the original

account of the hybrid given out when it first appeared on the market may be

inferred from the condition of the dressed skin, which had no sign of a tear

or scratch upon it in London shortly after the alleged tragedy. The chief

difference between this hybrid of three species and the lion-leopard born at

Kolhapur lies in the size of the spots, those of the former being large and

jaguar-like, as might be expected, while those of the latter are small and

more leopard-like. "

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The most successful and famous leopon programme was at Koshien Hanshin Park

in Nishinomiya City, Japan. Sonoko the lioness was mated to a leopard called

Kaneo. The exotic, spectacular hybrids were popular with the public, but the

programme was criticised in zoological and animal welfare circles. Hiroyuki

Doi was the director at Hanshin when the leopons were bred. The idea of

creating hybrids was discussed during 1954 and the zoo had the choice of

breeding lion-tiger or lion-leopard hybrids as they had a good breeding

record for all three species. Because other zoos had successfully bred

ligers and tigons, they decided on lipards (lion/leopardess) or leopons

(leopard/lioness) as they believed these had not been bred before. Each

parent was carefully selected. The male leopard, Kaneo, was born at the zoo

in January 1955. The female lion cub, Sonoko, was born there in March 1955.

They were caged together in December 1955 to get acquainted. According to

Doi, for the next 3 years their food was carefully chosen and hormones were

added.

 

The size difference almost caused the plan to be abandoned, but in March and

June 1959, three matings were witnessed and the lioness was then closely

observed and supervised. Disappointingly she did not show signs of

pregnancy, but by the end of September 1959, zoo staff were certain that

Sonoko was pregnant. They could not be certain of the due date as lions

gestation period is 105-110 days and leopards' gestation period is 90-95

days. Sonoko had 6 formal checkups each day and he cubs were born after 97

days, several days earlier than expected and before Kaneo and Sonoko could

be separated. On the morning of 2nd November 1959, Sonoko became restless,

trying to hid from staff observing her and her belly had dropped. That

afternoon, Kaneo was observed carrying an apparently dead cub around in his

mouth. Staff managed to get it from him and give the cub to Sonoko while

they isolated Kaneo. To their surprise, the cub was alive and vigourous and

the lioness accepted it back in spite of human handling. That night she had

a second cub. A litter of 2 hybrids was born in 1959 and 3 more (Johnny,

Daisy and Cherry) were born in 1962. In captivity, the normally solitary

male leopard remained with the family (social behaviour is sometimes seen in

captive big cats).

 

In terms of size, the leopons take after the lioness mother and are larger

than leopards. They have stout lion-like bodies and shorter leopard-like

legs. They have brown, rather than black, spots and tufted tails. They will

climb like leopards and seem to enjoy water, also like the leopard (oddly

enough, the Japanese leopons were born of a water-loving lioness and a male

leopard that did not seem to like water!). When mature, males had sparse

manes about 20 cm long when adult (Florio, 1983). Females may be torn

between the solitary nature of the leopard and the social nature of a

lioness. The hybrids proved to be sterile and the last one died in 1985.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, the leopard was originally believed to be a hybrid between

the " pard " (old name for panther, this being considered a separate creature

from the leopard) and the lion ( " leo " ) i.e. a leo-pard. Nowadays, the term

" panther " is generally only applied to black leopards.

 

Pliny believed that leopards were a hybrid of panther (pard) and lioness

(leo). This belief held sway for centuries, leading some authorities to

identify Dante's Lonza as a leopard/lion hybrid in the style of Pliny. In

Dante's book " *Inferno " (1314) *a leopard-like creature called the " Lonza "

represents the sin of lust. Although generally translated as leopard, the

word " lonza " is ambiguous (being a play on words) and some identify it as a

hybrid of lion/leopardess or leopard/lioness, citing the works of Pliny as

possible inspiration for Dante's Lonza.

 

The Leopons shown here were bred at Koshien Hanshin Park in Nishinomiya

City, Japan. Some of the photos show the cats as being extremely overweight,

possibly due to a lack of testosterone; predisposing them to lay down fat

instead of muscle (life in relatively small cages did not help matters). The

lioness mother, leopard father and leopon offspring were taxidermised and

are still on display. The park is closing and will donate two stuffed

leopons to the National Science Museum in Tokyo for scientific research. The

remaining stuffed leopons will be displayed in Nishinomiya City.

 

Must a lioness be sedated for the smaller leopard to mount her? Or does she

willingly adopt a lying position? Any natural hybrids would require her to

be willing. Some have claimed that the zoo pictures below show a very

unresponsive, sedated lioness, but reports on the Japanese leopons state

that the lioness voluntarily assumed a position on her side to allow the

much smaller leopard to mount her. The photos clearly show affection between

the two animals.

 

 

 

Useful reference: P L Florio published a report " Birth of a Lion x Leopard

Hybrid in Italy " in International-Zoo-News, 1983; 30(2): 4-6 (note: this

offspring would properly be called a lipard/liard)

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JAGLION

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A jaglion is a hybrid between male jaguar and lioness. There was a claim of

a lion x black jaguar cross (male) seen in the company of an alleged tiger x

black jaguar cross (female) in Maui, Hawaii. The supposed lion x black

jaguar's description matches that of an African lion. It was described as

having a scarred, puffy grey face, short, thick jet black mane on its head

and around its neck, extending around the ears and underneath the chin. Its

body was solid dark tawny and the tail had a black tuft. The identification

of lion x jaguar hybrid was made on facial characteristics. Melanism is a

dominant trait in jaguars and its interaction with lion genes is not known.

The grey face was probably due to poor light. Non-specialists frequently

misidentify big cats and erroneously identify them as hybrids. Tigers have

never been hybridised with jaguars. The two sighted animals were probably an

escaped African lion and lioness.

 

Known jaglion hybrids have chocolate rosettes on a tawny background colour.

The jaguar x lion hybrid below is a preserved individual photographed at the

Natural History Museum, Tring, England. The hybrid has the lion's background

colour, jaguar-like rosettes and the powerful build of the jaguar.

 

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JAGULEP (JAGLEOP), LIJAGULEP (CONGOLESE SPOTTED LION) LEPJAG & LEGUAR

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These are hybrids of leopard and jaguar. The Hellbrun Zoo, Salzburg, Austria

has been involved in the breeding of jaguar x leopard hybrids. Hellbrun Zoo

was criticised for the hybrids offered as attractions although these were

popular with visitors. Heinrich Windischbauer (director until 1976) offered

visitors the " Jagupard " . Lepjags have been kept at Waldo Animal retirement

home near Gainesville, Florida and there are still some in captivity in the

USA. Another lepjag was owned by the magicians Siegfried and Roy.

Leopard-jaguar hybrids are more massive than leopards. Their use as animal

actors suggests that they are more manageable than purebred jaguars. Current

captive lepjags are animal actors that have been retired. Although the term

" lepjag " has currency in the USA, a German publication in 1978 refers to the

male leopard x female jaguar hybrid as a leguar.

 

 

 

In 1908, a " Congolese Spotted Lion " was exhibited by a showman in London. It

turned out to be the offspring of a female leopard/jaguar cross which was

then crossed with a lion. It had been bred at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago,

America and exported as a public attraction. The " manufacture " of supposedly

exotic cats was once big business and exotic or freakish big cats were

exhibited to the public with some story about them being a newly discovered

animal. According to " Wild Cats Of The World " by Guggisberg, * " Around the

turn of the century three cubs were born at a Chicago zoo from a male jaguar

and a female leopard. They were sold to a traveling menagerie and the male

was killed by a lion, while the females grew to jaguar size. They were mated

to a lion, which they seemed to prefer to a leopard, and produced several

litters. One of these jaguar-leopard-lions came to London Zoo. The animal

looked like a young, slim lioness but was marked with brown spots of a

jaguar- or leopard-like pattern. " * Others described it as being * " the size

of a lioness, but scrawny, with brown spots of either the jaguar or leopard

variety. "

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A jagulep (or jagleop)* *is the hybrid of a jaguar and a leopardess. A

single female rosetted/spotted female jagulep was produced at a zoo in

Chicago, America. When she matured, the jagulep was mated to a lion, giving

rise to several* *lijaguleps (lijagleops). One was described as looking like

a slender, spotted lioness when mature. For a while this was known as the

Congolese Spotted Lion and was also claimed to be a marozi. The lijagulep is

mentioned in R I Pocock's letter to The Field of 2nd November 1912 where he

compared it to the leopons born in Kolhapur (1910): * " The nearest approach

to [a lion-leopard] hybrid hitherto reported is the one bred at Chicago

between a male lion and a female cross between a jaguar and a leopard, the

true story of which, accompanied by a good figure by Mr Frohawk, may be

found in the Field for April 18 and 25, and May 9, 1908. The final episode

in the history of that animal has, I believe, not yet been told. After being

exhibited in the Zoological Gardens and at the White City it went to

Glasgow, where, according to a sensational Press notice, it was killed by a

lion, which broke down the partition between the cages and made short work

of its opponent. That this story was of a piece with the original account of

the hybrid given out when it first appeared on the market may be inferred

from the condition of the dressed skin, which had no sign of a tear or

scratch upon it in London shortly after the alleged tragedy. The chief

difference between this hybrid of three species and the lion-leopard born at

Kolhapur lies in the size of the spots, those of the [lijagulep] being large

and jaguar-like, as might be expected, while those of the [leopon] are small

and more leopard-like. "

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Useful reference: Helmut Hemmer's " Report on a Hybrid Between Lion x Jaguar

x Leopard - Panthera leo x Panthera onca x Panthera pardus " in

Saeugetierkundliche-Mitteilungen, 1968; 16(2): 179-182.

G Peters included several hybrids (liger, tigon, leopon, leguar) in his

" Comparative Investigation of Vocalisation in Several Felids " published in

German in Spixiana-Supplement, 1978; (1): 1-206.

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MAROZI

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The mysterious African " marozi " or " spotted lion " , may be a rare natural

leopard/lion hybrid or an adult lion which retained its childhood spots.

Descriptions vary, but in general the marozi is described as a small lion

with a sandy, tawny or grey coat with tawny spots. To add to the confusion,

the spotted patterns are variously described as leopard-like, not

leopard-like or even jaguar-like.

 

Painting of two marozi by Bill Rebsamen, big-cat lover and wildlife

artist. Reproduced here by kind permission. Bill's website can be found at: The

William M. Rebsamen Gallery <http://www.rebsamenwildlife.com/>

 

 

 

The marozi is reported in Cameroons, Central African Republic, Uganda,

Rwanda, Kenya and Ethiopia where it is reportedly a forest-dweller with a

unique spot pattern distinct from that of the leopard. The presence of a

supposedly self-sustaining population (male big cat hybrids are sterile),

the small size and the size difference problems of a leopard/lioness mating

suggests a mutant form of either leopard or lion. Because male hybrids are

rarely fertile, a female leopon would have to mate with either a leopard or

lion in order to produce offspring. Those offspring would resemble the

pure-bred parent.

 

The first observations of spotted lions (marozi, *Panthera leo maculatus*)

by westerners were made by Colonel Richard Meinertzhagan in 1903 when he

described darker lions with rosette-like markings in the Kenyan mountains.

In 1924, big game authority and naturalist Captain A Blayney Percival killed

a spotted lioness and her cubs. The lioness was described as being no less

spotted than her cubs. The existence of cubs is frequently cited as evidence

that the spotted lioness could not have been a hybrid. However, female big

cat hybrids are frequently fertile and able to produce offspring if mated to

a non-hybrid big cat. It is the male hybrid that is sterile.

 

In 1931, Kenyan game warden Captain RE Dent observed four lions at a height

of just under 11,000 ft; the lions were darker and smaller than normal

lions. His native attendants later told him that they had trapped a spotted

lion in the Aberdare Mountains, but had not preserved its skin. An Irish

adventurer and author of the book " Nomad " (1934), C.J. McGuinness, wrote

that Carl Hagenbeck (animal collector for Hamburg Tierpark) had himself

sighted a spotted lion. There were also reports of a spotted lion being

trapped and killed around 1931. The main evidence comes from skins obtained

in 1931 when Michael Trent, a farmer in the Aberdare Mountains of Kenya,

shot two small lions, one male and one female, at an elevation of around

10,000 feet. Trent had them mounted as trophies and they later caught the

attention of the Game Department. The skins were examined by Game Department

officials in Nairobi who noted that the lions were of pubescent age (approx

3 years old) and should have lost the juvenile spotting.

 

In his safari book " The Spotted Lion " (1937), the 26 year old African

adventurer Kenneth Gandar Dower wrote: * " Mine was not a promising situation

when I found myself stranded in Nairobi. My only assets were a love of Rider

Haggard and a vague half-knowledge of what I wished to do. I wanted to see

big game in their natural surroundings, to take their photographs, and, once

that was done, to fit myself to go alone into the great forests. I wanted to

discover and to explore. Yet I could not speak Swahili. I had no fiends in

Kenya. I had scarcely taken a still photograph (that had come out) or fired

a rifle (except upon a range). My riding was limited to ten lessons, taken

seventeen years previously when I was nine, on a horse which would barely

canter. My shy suggestions of the possibilities of new animals brought only

rather scornful jokes about the Naivasha Sea Serpent and the Nandi Bear.

[...] This opportunity, given so undeservedly to a novice, who three months

ago had never been to Africa or really ridden a horse or fired a rifle at a

living thing, was almost too great a responsibility to bear. I felt small.

Even with Raymond's help, how could I hope to find this rare animal, the

very existence of which had for so long been unsuspected, in 2000 square

miles of wilderness, through which we could hardly travel, to find it and

track it down, and shoot it, or photograph it and capture it alive? "

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Dower was accompanied by the sceptical Raymond Hook. Dower's book " The

Spotted Lion " is about their expeditions in general, not just the search for

the marozi. Despite Hook's scepticism, he was hopeful of finding - and

shooting - spotted lions. They found spoor and tracks they believed came

from a pair (male and female) of marozi. The larger track was larger that

leopard tracks, but smaller than those of a lion. The animals appeared to be

stalking a buffalo and were therefore adults. At an elevation of 12,500

feet, lion tracks were found and were believed to be those of spotted lions

due to the location. A Kenyan guide, Ali, described his meeting with a pair

of marozi to Kenneth Gandar Dower two weeks previously. The animals, a male

and female, were playing in the sun and were smaller and more slightly built

than a lion, but were mottled all over with a sparse mane. At one point they

missed seeing a spotted lion, apparently arriving a day too late.

 

Dower's spotted lion became well known and after his account in 1935, the

hunting journal " The Field " carried occasional accounts of spotted lions. In

1935, it printed a letter and photo by Andrew Fowle, regarding a

normal-sized lion aged two years but still possessing distinct spotting.

Towards the end of 1937 a letter appeared by BV Richardson, who had made

contact with settlers and natives in the area explored by Dower; Richardson

had never heard any of these people speak of spotted lions. He remarked that

the natives sometimes exaggerated in an attempt to please their masters. In

1948, G Hamilton-Snowball recalls learning of the marozi prior to Dower's

1935 expedition. He may even have spotted a pair of these animals at an

elevation of 11,500 feet along the Kinangop Plateau. In spring 1923, while

crossing the Aberdares on foot across the Kinangop at a height of 11,500 ft,

he observed a pair of strange cats approximately 200 yards. In the poor

light he first thought they were " two very tawny and washed out looking

leopards " . When he turned to his bearer for his rifle, he overheard them say

" marozi " . Before he could shoot either of the animals, they had turned away,

bounding to safety within the nearby forest belt. His attendants told him

that lions did not ascend to such mountainous heights but affirmed that

marozis lived at that altitude. He wrote of his account in 1948 and added

that the pugmarks were those of a lion, not of a leopard, and that the

animals were mottled and fawn-coloured. Hamilton-Snowball's native guides

identified the beasts as marozi.

 

In 1948, JRT Pollard Pollard wrote (in The Field) that Hook believed the

spotted lion (as a species) to be largely mythical and instead suggested

that the existence of a small race of lions, possibly driven into the

mountainous forests by European settlers, would not be impossible. Hook felt

that there was insufficient evidence to support a fully fledged spotted

race. However, Pollard believed an unknown felid was possible. He recalled

that Powys Cobb of Elementeita (an expert on African big game) had chased an

unusual cat trespassing on his farm, near the Mau Forest's edge. Cobb had

described it as intermediate in size between a lion and leopard and it had

left behind spoor resembling that of a small lion. On the other hand, G

Flett suggested that Cobb had been deceived by dappled shadows into

believing he had seen a spotted lion. Flett's scepticism was based firmly on

personal experience - he had twice seen " spotted lions " in Kenya, only to

discover it to be an optical illusion. In 1950, The Field published a

full-page discourse by Major W. Robert Foran. Foran was sceptical of the

existence of a race of spotted lions and favoured the idea that some

individuals of the modestly sized and sparsely-maned Somali lion (Panthera

leo somalica) had somehow wandered into the Aberdares region of Kenya. He

suggested that the lions had included some aberrant spotted individuals and

concluded by stating that he would await further developments in order to

solve the spotted lion riddle conclusively. There were no further

developments. Some marozi reports trickled in during the MauMau's invasion

of the Aberdares in 1952, but apart from that, interest waned until

comparatively recently when the science of cryptozoology became acceptable.

 

 

 

Above: pelt of spotted lion shot in 1931 by Trent in Aberdares region,

Kenya, Africa. The skin is held at the Natural History Museum in London.

 

 

 

For comparison to the marozi illustration, a spotted lioness and female

lion/tiger hybrid.

 

Lion cubs have spotted markings which act as camouflage. These fade as the

cubs mature. Sometimes these markings persist into adulthood and this may

give rise to marozi sightings.

 

 

 

The skin, and possible skull, of one of the two spotted lions shot by

Michael Trent in 1931 is held at the Natural History Museum in London. RI

Pocock of the Natural History Museum in London examined the specimens prior

to 1937 and made the following report: * " It is a male, measuring

approximately: - head and body 5ft. 101/2 in., tail, without terminal hairs

of the tuft, 2 ft. 9 in., making a total of about 8 ft. 8 in. This is of

course small for adult East African lions, of which the dressed skins may

surpass 10 ft. over all. From its size I guessed it to be about three years

old, a year or more short of full size. There is nothing particularly

noticeable in its mane, which is small and, except on the cheeks, consists

of a mixture of tawny, grey and black hairs, the longest up to about 5 in.

in length. ... the peculiarity of the skin lies in the distinctness of the

pattern of spots, consisting of large " jaguarine " rosettes arranged in

obliquely vertical lines and extending over the flanks, shoulders and thighs

up to the darker spinal area where they disappear. They are irregular in

size and shape, the largest measuring 85 by 45 or 65 by 65 mm. In diameter.

Their general hue is pale greyish-brown, with slightly darkened centres, but

at the periphery they are thrown into relief by the paler tint of the spaces

between them. On the pale cream-buff belly, the solid richer buff spots

stand out tolerably clearly. The legs are covered with solid spots, more

distinct than the rosettes of the flanks, and on the hind legs they are more

scattered and a deeper, more smoky grey tint than on the fore legs. The

skulls of the pair of spotted lions secured by Mr. Trent were not preserved

when the animals were skinned; but a skull presumed to belong to one of

them, with all the teeth and the lower jaw missing, was subsequently picked

up near the spot and submitted to me with the skin. It is a young skull with

all the sutures open, showing it had not attained full size and may well be

the estimated age of the skin. It is not sufficiently developed to be sexed

with certainty ... The skull in question may prove to be that of a slightly

dwarfed lion with the teeth and skull reduced to about the size of those of

an ordinary lioness. "

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Although the skin and skull have been re-examined since, there is little to

add to Pocock's report. DNA studies might cast more light on the enigma.

Current knowledge suggest that the marozi (or " Aberdares Spotted Lion " ) is a

small, sparsely maned lion intermediate in size between a lion and a

leopard. Unlike the pride-living lion, it travels in male-female pairs,

although a foursome has been reported, possibly being a pair with sub-adult

offspring. Similar spotted lions have been reported in other parts of

Africa. Modern tourist information refers to the Aberdares lions as being

more hairy and spotted than plains lions.

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BLACK LEOPONS/BLACK JAGLIONS

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Black leopards (black panthers) and black jaguars have always caught the

public imagination. To my knowledge black leopons or black jaglions

(jaguar/lion hybrids) have not occurred. The gene for melanism in leopards

is recessive and would probably be masked by lion colouration genes. The

gene for melanism in jaguars is dominant, but it is not known how it would

interact with lion colouration genes.

 

 

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PANTHER/LEOPARD HYBRIDS

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This section is here to clear up some confusion and because I am frequently

asked about " panther/leopard hybrids " . The term " panther " is used in North

America to mean puma (cougar), in South America to mean jaguar and elsewhere

in the world it refers to the leopard (native to Asia and Africa).

Originally the leopard and the panther were thought to be two different

species and were differentiated by tail length. Nowadays the term panther is

most often used when describing black panthers (melanistic leopards and

jaguars).

 

The panthers once kept as pets in Britain (and possibly released into the

wild) were black leopards not black pumas. By comparison, there are

relatively few reports of black pumas. Since the black panther is simply a

black form of leopard, these can breed with regular spotted leopards. The

offspring are not hybrids. See Mutant Big

Cats<http://messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-bigcats.html>for more

information on black leopards. The three species only meet in

captivity. Leopards can be mated to jaguars and produce offspring called or

jagulep (or jagleop). Pumas have been crossed with leopards to produce

pumapards (see Hybrid Big Cats

2<http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-bigcats2.html>)

and have possibly been crossed with jaguars (anecdotal reports). " Bagheera "

of the Jungle Book is a black leopard, not a black puma - the story is set

in India; pumas are only found in the Americas.

 

 

*

 

LIGER

*

 

A liger is the offspring of a lion and a tigress. It is bigger than either

parent, 10 - 12 ft in length - making it the biggest hybrid cat and, for

many people, the most fascinating. Ligers vary in appearance depending on

how the genes interact and on which subspecies of lion and tiger are bred

together. In general, males grow sparse leonine manes and the facial ruff of

a tiger. Males and females have spotted bellies and a striped back. They

roar like lions and " chuff " like tigers. The females exhibit conflicting

needs for lioness-like sisterhood and tigress-like solitude. Ligers have no

scientific name, but Panthera leo X tigris has been posited.

 

In Nicholas Courtney's (editor) book " The Tiger, Symbol Of Freedom " , it

stated " *Rare reports have been made of tigresses mating with lions in the

wild. " * A.A. Milne writing in chapter 3 " Tiggers Can't Climb Trees " says

that * " Under exceptional circumstances it has been known for a tiger to be

forced into ranges inhabited by the Asian lion, Panthera leo persica, which

is the same genus as the tiger. Rare reports have been made of tigresses

mating with lions in the wild and producing offspring known as ligers. When

a tiger and a lioness mate the cub is called a tigron. " * Milne may be

referring to the Gir Forest where both species are currently found or to the

Persian (Asiatic) lion's historic range which was much larger than it is

today and extended into North Africa. Milne also wrote that lions and tigers

have cross bred in captivity for centuries (correct), and that the offspring

are always sterile (correct with regard to male offspring only). Large brown

cats (larger than lions or tigers) were reported anecdotally from Singapore

and it has been theorised that they might have been wild-born ligers.

 

Cuvier reported a litter of three lion-tiger " mules " born in October 1824 in

England to an African lion and an Asiatic tigress. The parents were owned by

Mr Atkins, an itinerant exhibitor and animal dealer. They shared a den and

were observed to mate frequently during the previous July. The cubs were

born at Windsor and were shown to his Majesty. They were taken from the

tigress shortly after birth and fostered onto bitches and a goat. Cuvier

presented an engraving of 2 of the 3 the cubs at 3 months old and observed

that they would probably reach maturity. He described them as being

dirty-yellow or " blanket-colour " (i.e. camel colour) with darker tiger-like

stripes on the body and spots on the head and on parts of the body. They had

lion-like heads. These appear to be the first recorded ligers. Elsewhere, it

was reported that H Smith bred ligers from a Persian lion and a " king tiger "

(Bengal tiger?), which were born at Windsor on 17 October, 1824. The Persian

lion is the same as the Indian (Asiatic) lion. These would appear to be the

same hybrids that Cuvier reported.

 

Two liger cubs were born in 1837. These were exhibited to His Majesty

William IV and to his successor Queen Victoria. On 14th December 1900, Carl

Hagenbeck wrote to zoologist James Cossar Ewart with details and photographs

of his cross breeding experiments using a lion and a tiger born at the

Hagenpark in Hamburg in 1897. He wrote that he was also attempting to cross

a female leopard with a Bengal tiger. On 31st May 1901, Hagenbeck wrote

again to James Cossar Ewart sending him photographs of the results of his

male lion and tigress hybridisation experiments.

 

In " Animal Life and the World of Nature " (1902-1903), A H Bryden wrote about

Hagenbeck's " lion-tiger " hybrids: " *It has remained for one of the most

enterprising collectors and naturalists of our time, Mr Carl Hagenbeck, not

only to breed, but to bring successfully to a healthy maturity, specimens of

this rare alliance between those two great and formidable felidae, the lion

and tiger. The illustrations will indicate sufficiently how fortunate Mr

Hagenbeck has been in his efforts to produce these hybrids. The oldest and

biggest of the animals shown is a hybrid born on the 11th May, 1897. This

fine beast, now more than five years old, equals and even excels in his

proportions a well-grown lion, measuring as he does from nose tip to tail 10

ft 2 inches in length, and standing only three inches less than 4 ft at the

shoulder. A good big lion will weigh about 400 lbs [...] the hybrid in

question, weighing as it does no less than 467 lbs, is certainly the

superior of most well-grown lions, whether wild-bred or born in a menagerie.

This animal shows faint striping and mottling, and, in its characteristics,

exhibits strong traces of both its parents. It has a somewhat lion-like

head, and the tail is more like that of a lion than of a tiger. On the other

hand, it has little or no trace of mane. It is a huge and very powerful

beast. "

*

 

*

 

Nineteenth Century naïve painting of an animal trainer with lion, tigress

and three hybrid offspring. The offspring (enlargement below) have lion-like

colouration, a dorsal stripe and tiger-like ruffs.

 

 

*

 

*

 

A colour plate of the offspring of lion and tiger by Geoffrey St Hilaire

(1772 - 1844)*

 

*

 

Engraving of liger cubs born 1824 by G B Whittaker (engraving dated 1825)*

 

In 1935, four ligers from two litters, were reared in the Zoological Gardens

of Bloemfontein, South Africa. Three of them, a male and two females, were

still living in 1953. The male weighed 750 lbs. and stood a foot and a half

taller than a full grown male lion at the shoulder.

 

Proving that hybrids need not be unhealthy or short-lived, Shasta the

ligress, who lived at the Hogle zoo in Salt Lake City, set a longevity

record. She was born at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City on May 14th, 1948

and died in 1972 at age 24 (and an Indian tigon reached 25 years old). The

1973 Guinness world records reported the 18 year old, 750 lbs male liger

living at Bloemfontein zoological gardens, South Africa in 1953.

 

 

 

*

 

1904 photo of circus lion tamer with 2 lions and a liger (probably

Hagenbeck's show)*

 

*

 

1904 photo of circus tigress, lion and hybrid offspring.*

 

*

 

1904 photo of Hagenbeck's ligers*

 

 

 

Ligers are the largest big cat, tending towards gigantism, especially in the

males which can be the size of a pony and weigh over half a tonne. Some

researchers suggest this is a throwback effect to the huge size of the

related extinct " cave lion " though the effect is actually due to " growth

dysplasia " (see below). The male liger reportedly has a gentle disposition

which may be due to lack of testosterone (male hybrids are usually

infertile). Some male ligers have more mane development than others and some

are almost mane-less; this is comparable to variable mane sizes in wild

lions. Because of public fascination with giant cats, the liger is now more

common than the tigon.

 

In " At Home In The Zoo " (1961), Gerald Iles wrote* " For the record I must

say that I have never seen a liger, a hybrid obtained by crossing a lion

with a tigress. They seem to be even rarer than tigons. " *In contrast, Iles

was more easily able to acquire tigons for Belle Vue Zoo, Manchester.

 

Ligers, showing the variable appearance due to different gene

interactions.

 

 

 

Not all liger births are planned - in September 1975, a tigress sharing a

cage with a lion at a zoo in Osaka, Japan, gave birth to 3 cubs described as

having tiger's heads and lion's bodies. Two died soon after birth and the

third was reported as " very poorly " , presumably dying soon after the news

report. In Amman Zoo, Jordan, Jassass, a 250 kilogram seven-year-old lion,

and Warda, a 120 kg six year old tigress were introduced to each other on

August 30, 2001. On this occasion, the tigress rebuffed the lion's

overtures, but zoo keepers remained hopeful that the pair would eventually

mate (to date there has been no success).

 

A liger born in 2002 at Fuzhou, Fujian Province, lived for more than 100

days. In July 2004, a liger cub born in a wildlife park in Hainan, China

died of respiratory failure 72 hours after birth. It had been born to the

tigress Huanhuan and a lion called Xiaoerhei. It was born underweight and

its death was attributed to congenital respiratory failure. According to

Hainan biologist Dr.Li Yuchun, only one out of 500,000 lion-tiger or

tiger-lion cubs survive, due to differences in their chromosomes. Huanhuan

had rejected the cub and it had been suckled by a domestic dog that had just

whelped in the hope of getting colostrum. The zoo plan to breed further

ligers. On 6th December 2004, a Bengal tigress produced healthy liger cubs

sired by an African lion. The Russian Information Agency Novosti claimed it

to be the first ever liger produced from this combination (possibly the

first in Russia). The parents lived in neighbouring caves in the Novosibirsk

zoo and got used to each other. The female liger cub was named Zita and

resembles her tigress mother with clear tiger stripes, but has a lion's

background colour and many leonine features. Her brother remains with his

parents in another Siberian zoo. In November 2005, three liger cubs were

born in the Novosibirsk Zoo to an African lion and a Bengalese tigress. This

second litter from the same pair is the result of a genuine attachment

between the two big cats which have been housed in neighbouring cages since

childhood. Staff at Novosibirsk Zoo are considering the possibility of

scientific research into liger fertility. During 2005, two tigons and three

ligers were bred at the Shenzhen safari park, in southern China (near Hong

Kong).

 

The Valley Of The Kings sanctuary in Wisconsin has a liger named Nook. Liger

cubs were born at the Ark zoo in Germany. A pair of ligers in Peking zoo,

bred from an African lion and an Ussuri tigress. In April 2005, a liger

(erroneously called a tigron) called Samil was born at the Italian Circus in

Vigo, northwestern Spain. Samil is a cross between a female tiger and a lion

and therefore is a liger.

 

G Peters included several hybrids (liger, tigon, leopon, leguar) in his

" Comparative Investigation of Vocalisation in Several Felids " published in

German in Spixiana-Supplement, 1978; (1): 1-206.

 

 

*

 

TIGON (TION, TIGRON, TIGLON)

*

 

The offspring of a male tiger and a lioness is a tigon (alternative names

are tion, tigron or tiglon). Tigons have no scientific name, but Panthera

tigris X leo has been posited. Tigons are currently rarer than ligers. It is

suggested that male tigers find the courtship behaviour of a lioness too

subtle and may miss behavioural cues that she is willing to mate (though

lionesses actively solicit mating). It is more likely that their smaller

size makes them less attractive exhibits than ligers. This is borne out by

the fact that in the 19th century and early 20th century, tigons were more

common than ligers.

 

Tiger crosses in captivity have been common for centuries. There is a

recorded cross-breeding in India which dates back to 1837 when a tigon was

presented to Queen Victoria from the princess of Jamnagar (an Indian state).

The first record of tigon breeding in Britain came from a touring circus in

the 19th Century. They had a tiger and a lioness which produced litter after

litter of hybrid cubs. Queen Victoria saw the circus at a command

performance at Windsor and the latest litter of hybrid cubs was shown to

her. One of the best known early tigons was Ranji, a huge male who was bred

by Prince Ranjitsinji, Maharajah Jam Sahib of Nawangagar and presented by

him to the Zoological Gardens in Regent's Park in 1924 or 1928. Mr. Frohawk

was commissioned by The Field to sketch Ranji. He found him shy and said * " The

hybrid favors [resembles] the tiger rather than the lion in the shape of the

body and head and it is particularly interesting to note that although the

creature is a male, the mane is not larger than that possessed by some

tigers and there is at most a small tuft at the end of the tail. The coat,

however, is tawny and entirely lacks the reddish-orange hue characteristic

of all tigers except those of the colder regions of central Asia. The

stripes, nevertheless, although comparatively faint are clearly traceable

and the lower parts of the body are whitish as in tigers. " *

 

Late 1920s/early 1930s: A keeper introduces a lion cub to a tiger cub in

a hamper with a view to them sharing a cage. The young tiger is described as

" furious " when the lid is raised while the young lion is merely curious. At

the time, mixed exhibits were considered most attractive. In Germany,

Hagenbeck accomplished mixed exhibits of lions, tigers, bears and hyenas.

 

Late 1920s/early 1930s: A lion and tiger accustomed to sharing a cage,

though the relationship was described as mutual tolerance rather than

friendship.

 

 

 

A tigon is often smaller than either a lion or tiger though some have

attained or exceeded the size of the smaller parent. They may be less robust

than either parent. There is less interest in them because they are less

spectacular than ligers. The actual size and appearance depends on which

subspecies are bred together and how the genes interact. The smaller size of

the tigress compared to the lion means that cubs may be stillborn, premature

(there isn't enough space in the womb for them to develop any further) or

sickly and not able to survive. Premature birth can lead to health problems

in those that do survive.

 

The tigon supposedly bred at London Zoo (probably Ranji, imported from

India) was exhibited in the lion house. Another observer described it as a

striped beast with a ruff round its neck and a surprised expression. Belle

Vue Zoo in Manchester, England had a succession of tigons between 1936 and

1968. Kliou (male) and Maude (female) were born at Dresden Zoo, Germany in

1932 and were bred from a Manchurian tiger x African lioness mating. They

were acquired by the Hagenbecks at an early age. Gerald Iles of Belle Vue

Zoo obtained them from Heinrich Hagenbeck at Hamburg Zoo in 1936. Gerald

Iles, who obtained them for Belle Vue Zoo wrote in " At Home In The Zoo "

(1961): * " The male was a large animal with a mane - not so much as a lion

but more than the ruff of a tiger. His general colour was a pale fawn with

light brown shadow stripes on the head and body. The under parts were almost

white, as in the tiger, and the ears bore the marking of the tiger and the

colour of the lion. The female was similar except taat she lacked the mane.

She was larger than the usual tigress or lioness. Both roared like lions.

The price for the pair was £325 which I though comparitively cheap for such

rarities, even in those days. "

*

 

To begin with, Kliou and Maude shared an enclosure and mated frequently, but

they later fought when Maude repelled Kliou's attempts to mate and had to be

housed separately. Kliou made repeated attempts to get into Maude's cage.

Kliou died of tuberculosis in March 1942 and Maude became even more serene

and regal. She died aged 18 of gastro-enteritis in December 1949 after

catching a chill when the lion house heating failed. In 1957, Belle Vue zoo

obtained another tigon called Rita. Rita came from Paris Zoo who had

obtained her from the " Sultan " of Morocco. She was smaller than either Kliou

or Maude, perhaps coming from different subspecies of lion and tiger, and

lived until February 23rd, 1968. When Manchester zoo's last tigon died it

was valued at $12,000.

 

Left: Female tigon and her male ti-tigon offspring sired by a Siberian

tiger. The ti-tigon is 75% tiger and more tiger-like than his mother.

 

Right: Male tigon showing pale striping and lion-like mane.

 

 

* " At the zoological Gardens in London there has been produced a most

interesting hybrid between a tiger and a lion. It has been dubbed the

" tigon " . It is decidedly not a noble-looking beast, is very long in the leg,

where the stripes are most prominent, and of a general sandy hue. " * The

image (from " Wonders of Animal Life " edited by J A Hammerton (1930)) appears

to be an edited photograph to give readers the general impression of such a

beast (it is probably Ranji, noted earlier).

 

 

Female tigon from Manchester, England

 

 

 

In July 1998, the Indian Express Newspaper reported the approaching death of

the country's last known surviving zoo tigon. Ranjini, born in 1973,

resembled a lioness in size and shape, but with a slightly smaller head and

jaw and a brighter yellow coat with faint tiger-like stripes. Ranjini, kept

at Calcutta zoo, was bred from a Bengal tiger and an African lion and lived

to the age of 25 years. There were only 2 known living tigons in 1976; both

in Calcutta zoo: a 5 year old female named Rudrani and her 3 year old sister

Ranjini. The zoo's first tigon was Rudhrani, born in 1971, was mated to an

Asiatic lion called Debabrata and produced 7 li-tigons in her lifetime. Some

of these reached impressive sizes - a li-tigon named Cubanacan (died April

12th, 1991) was believed to weigh at least 800lb/363 kg, stood 52

inches/1.32m at the shoulder and 11.5ft/3.5 m total length (1994: GBWR

" largest litigin " ). However, Ranjini was not allowed to have a mate due to

pressure to end the breeding of hybrids. The zoo was also discouraged by the

problem of sterility in the male hybrids (in both tigons and li-tigons). The

original tiger and lioness, parents of the two female tigons, had also died,

ending the prospect of producing further tigons. In 1985, the Indian

Government forbade the cross-breeding of lions and tigers following a

campaign by the Worldwide Fund for Nature. This ended a long tradition of

lion/tiger breedings in the country. These date back to 1837 when the

princess of Jamnagar (an Indian state) presented a tigon to Queen Victoria.

 

Tigons were also once kept at a French safari park on the estate of an

(unidentified) aristocrat. When female tigon Noelle was born at Shambala in

1978, there were only 3 other tigons known in the United States (there might

have been others in private hands). Apollo, a tigon at Moscow zoo, was bred

from an Ussuri tiger. A tigon was kept at the Valley Of The Kings sanctuary

in Wisconsin. Java, a male tigon, was 3 years old in 1998 and came from a

farm in Mississipi to protect him from mistreatment, according to the JES

Exotic Sanctuary (now Valley of the Kings) in Sharon, Wisconsin, about 100

kilometres west of Chicago. He was undersized at 375 lbs, but was still

growing. Java the tigon was killed by lightning during a severe storm in

1999. According to Valley of the Kings (correspondence), there may be as

many as 30 or 40 tigons in captivity in 2005, most being owned by private

collectors who may have obtained them illegally and who do not advertise

their existence. China's first tigon was born at Hongshan Zoo in Nanjing,

Jiangsu Province, in 2002. It lived only one week.

 

In December 2000, Australia's National Zoo in Canberra acquired a brother

and sister pair of tigons. Aster (male) and Tangier (female) had been bred

accidentally in 1987 at a circus to a Bengal tiger and a lioness. They were

hand-raised and spent their first several years at a private facility. In

1994, while the tigons were at Ashton's Circus, a toddler lost both his arms

when he put them through the bars of the tigons' cage and was severely

mauled by Aster. The tigons were 7 years old. The resulting claim stated

that the tigons had been placed in an inappropriate area that was a clear

attraction for children. There was no safety fencing and the perimeter was

not properly supervised. The circus also lacked safe and proper procedures

for the housing and exercising of the tigons. Because the facility did not

provide adequate quality housing, along with its lions and tigers from the

facility, the tigons were moved to the National Zoo. In spite of a " no

hybrids " policy, the Zoo took the tigons on humane grounds because there

were few other options for the pair.

 

Aster and Tangier are currently almost 20 years old and healthy, having been

overweight when they arrived at the Zoo. They occupy a large enclosure with

log climbing frames and a moat in which they sometimes paddle. They eat

about 4 kgs of beef, horse, kangaroo, goat, rabbit and chicken per day,

excepting 2 " starve " days to mimic the normal lifestyle of big cats (not all

hunts are successful). Aster weighs approx 160 kg (around the same as a

large adult female Bengal tiger, but small for a male). Tangier weighs 145

kg (average for an adult female Bengal). They have been housed together for

their entire life and have mated regularly when Tangier is in season. Due to

the sterility of male tigons, no offspring have been produced. Although the

tigons are popular attractions with visitors, the Zoo has no plans to breed

further hybrids or to mate Tangier to either a lion or tiger to ascertain

whether she is fertile.

 

In August 2001, Shanghai Safari Park had 4 tigon cubs from an accidental

pairing of African lioness " Huanhuan " and Siberian tiger " Huihui " .

Unfortunately, none survived. The two male and two female cubs' legs and

necks resembled their mother, but their faces and tails were tiger-like. The

front part of their bodies were lion-like and the rear part tiger-like. The

parents were both 3 years old and are stars of the park's animal troupe. The

lioness was in her mating season when the troupe was on a out-of-city tour

and chose the tiger as her mate. The 4 dead cubs will be preserved as

specimens and put on display. In 2005, 2 tigons and 3 ligers were bred at

the Shenzhen safari park, in southern China (near Hong Kong). In April 2005,

a " tigron " (which was actually a liger!) called Samil was born at the

Italian Circus in Vigo, northwestern Spain. Samil is a cross between a

female tiger and a lion and therefore is a liger.

 

 

 

 

 

*TI-TIGON, TI-LIGER (TIG-LIGER), LI-TIGON, LI-LIGER

*

 

Female tigons and ligers are often fertile and can mate with a lion, tiger

or in theory with another species such as leopard or jaguar. According to

" Wild Cats Of The World " (1975) by Guggisberg, ligers and tigons were long

thought to be sterile: * " In 1943, however, a fifteen year old hybrid between

a lion and an 'Island' tiger was successfully mated with a lion at the

Munich Hellabrunn Zoo. The female cub, even though very delicate, was raised

to adulthood. " *Prior to this all lion-tiger hybrids were believed to be

sterile (even though other hybrid females such as jagulep females were

already known to be fertile). 1943 seems to be the first recorded instance

of a second generation hybrid of tiger and lion. This female tigon produced

nine cubs in five litters between 1948 and 1950.

 

Tigons and ligers have been mated together to produce ti-ligers

(tig-ligers). Tigers and tigons have been mated to produce ti-tigons

(below). Ti-ligers and ti-tigons are more tigerlike (75% tiger). Ti-tigons

resemble golden tigers but with less contrast in their markings.

 

During the late 1970s/early 1980s, the Shambala Preserve had both a tigon

and a ti-tigon. The full illustrated story of Noelle the tigon and

Nathaniel, her ti-tigon son, is detailed in " The Cats of Shambala " by Tippi

Hedren. On Christmas morning 1978, handler Brad Darrington found a 1 lb

striped female cub hidden behind the den box in Nikita's compound. Nikita

was the preserve's 600 lb tiger who ruled a pride of 9 lionesses. The cub

was believed to have be born to Debbie, a lioness that had arrived from LA

Animal Control as an orphan in 1974. None of the lionesses was thought to

have been pregnant, though they did sometimes give birth surreptitiously.

Debbie rejected the cub. The was named Noelle and was hand-reared. At 5 days

old, Noelle began making the nasal, puffing " ff-fuff " sounds of the tiger as

well as the happy " aa-oow " of a lion cub. While tiger cubs dislike being

held or cuddled, Noelle had the cuddly nature of a lion cub. Her nose was

tiger-like rather than blunt like a lion. At about 2 weeks old, Noelle was

diagnosed with septic arthritis which caused her to limp. At the time of

Noelle's birth, Hedren knew of only 3 other tigons in the US.

 

Being such a rarity, Noelle was widely photographed and her image appeared

in magazines and articles around the world. At the age of 4 years, she was a

little larger than the average lioness, being taller and longer-legged.

Standing on her hind legs she measured 13 ft from tail tip to nose tip. Her

stripes were brown, rather than black, on an orange background colour with a

white belly. She had mottled spots on the top of her head. Her vocalisations

were lioness-like rather than tigress-like and she had the sociable nature

of the lion combined with the playfulness and love of water of the tiger.

She also inherited an excellent jumping ability, easily making 10 ft

vertical leaps.

 

Noelle was housed with 3 other tigresses and a 5 year old Amur (Siberian)

tiger called Anton. Although the other lionesses and tigresses at the

preserve were put on the contraceptive pill, Noelle was wrongly assumed to

be sterile because she was a hybrid. She therefore came on heat regularly

and mated with Anton from spring 1982 onwards. When Noelle displayed signs

of pregnancy, it was assumed to be a false pregnancy

(hormonal/psychological), however, on September 16th, 1983, she gave birth

to a single small male cub. Noelle and the cub had to be separated from the

other females who were attempting to kidnap the cub, wounding it in the

process. The cub was named Nathaniel, this being derived from Tippi's birth

name of Nathalie. Nathaniel was possibly the only ti-tigon in the world at

the time.

 

Being 75% tiger, Nathaniel was more tiger-like than his mother. He had

clearly defined darker stripes and facial markings and his coat that was

unusually long and thick. Nathaniel " spoke " tiger rather than a mix of lion

of and tiger. Instinctively Noelle " spoke " tiger to her cub. When Nathaniel

was 6 weeks old, it became necessary to remove him from Noelle in order to

imprint him on humans since Shambala's big cats were trained for films. From

then on he was hand-reared although after several months, he was

reintroduced to Noelle who began to teach him big cat manners. Being only

25% lion, Nathaniel did not grow a mane although he did achieve an

impressive size. He died age 8 or 9 years old due to cancer. His tigon

mother, Noelle, also developed cancer and died not long after. It is

possible that the mix of genes contributed to the illness.

 

More recently, a behavioural research programme in the USA bred a female

ti-liger called Lady Kali; at 2 years old she weighed 400 lbs.

 

Lions and ligers have been mated together to produce li-ligers. Lions and

tigons have been mated to produce li-tigons. These hybrids are more

lion-like (75% lion).

 

Male hybrids are rarely, if ever, fertile even if they do display sexual

behaviour. To date, all male ligers, tigons, ti-tigons and li-tigons

investigated have apparently proven sterile. There are no authenticated

liger x tigon, liger x liger or tigon x tigon hybrids. Theoretical offspring

could be lion-like, tiger-like, liger-like or tigon-like, depending on what

combination of genes they inherited. It is more likely that anecdotally

reported offspring from supposed hybrid-to-hybrid matings actually resulted

from unobserved additional matings of a hybrid female with a pure-bred lion

or tiger.

 

Some visitors to this site have asked what would happen if a tigon or liger

was mated back to a lion. See

Backcrossing<http://messybeast.com/genetics/new-species.htm>for

information.

 

 

*

 

LIGER COLOURS

*

 

White tigers have been crossed with lions to produce white ligers. Everland

Zoo (Yongin Farm Zoo) in Seoul, Korea has produced white ligers, possibly

from white tigers and leucistic lionesses. Big Cat Rescue's white tiger

apparently co-habitates with a lion, as it was the intention of the original

owner to breed white ligers. Golden tigers have been crossed with lions to

produce golden ligers. In theory white tigers could be crossed with white

lions to produce truly white ligers. White tigons or golden tigons are also

possible, but because tigons do not attain the huge size of the liger there

is far less interest in breeding them.

 

A black liger would be an impressive creature, but to breed one would

require *both* a melanistic tiger *and* a melanistic lion because the gene

for black must be inherited from both parents and to guarantee a black liger

requires *both* parents to be black. Very few true melanistic tigers have

ever been recorded. Most " black tigers " are due to pseudo-melanism i.e. the

markings are so heavy that the tawny background colour is almost hidden. No

reports of black lions have ever been substantiated.

 

In felines, " blue " means a slate-grey colour. Genetically, it is a form of

melanism where the colour has been diluted from black to grey. To breed a

blue liger would require a blue (i.e.grey) tiger and a black lion (or black

tiger and blue lion. Or blue tiger and blue lion). Blue tigers have been

recorded in China, but none have occurred in captivity. To date, no grey

lions have been recorded.

 

(Read about blue tigers, black tigers, black lions and the genetics which

causes these at Mutant Big

Cats<http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-bigcats.html>

)

 

 

*THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OPEN IN NEW WINDOWS

 

WHY ARE LIGERS SO MUCH BIGGER THAN

TIGONS?<http://messybeast.com/genetics/growth-dysplasia.htm>

 

WHY BREED HYBRIDS? COMPLEX HYBRIDS AND BACKCROSSING. HOW NEW SPECIES ARE

CREATED <http://messybeast.com/genetics/new-species.htm>

 

EMOTIONAL & BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS IN HYBRID BIG

CATS<http://messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-problems.htm>

BIG CAT/DOMESTIC CAT

HYBRIDS*<http://messybeast.com/genetics/domestic-bigcats.htm>

 

*HAGENBECK'S HYBRIDS <http://messybeast.com/genetics/hagenbeck.htm>*

 

*NAMING CONVENTION FOR HYBRIDS<http://messybeast.com/genetics/hybrid-names.htm>

*

*

 

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

*

 

For more information on the genetics of colour and pattern:

Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders & Veterinarians 4th Ed (the current

version)

 

For more information on genetics, inheritance and gene pools see:

The Pros and Cons of Inbreeding <http://www.messybeast.com/inbreed.htm>

The Pros and Cons of Cloning <http://www.messybeast.com/clonecat.htm>

 

For more information on anomalous colour and pattern forms in big cats see

Karl Shuker's " Mystery Cats of the World " (Robert Hale: London, 1989); the

genetics content of this publication is now outdated.

 

Textual content is licensed under the GFDL.