The liger is an exotic cat, it is not as well known as its other relatives. Lyrgues are bred artificially by crossing a lion and a tigress; they are not found outside zoos. Only a few specialized centers are engaged in breeding these cats. The appearance of a liger is an event in the zoological world, because the chance to get offspring when crossing two species does not exceed two percent.
Ligers have an unusual appearance, but most of all these cats are distinguished by their huge size. In height and weight, they surpass both lions and tigers by several times. Unusual cats also grow faster than their relatives; in some periods of their lives, their weight increases daily by a kilogram.
The Hercules liger is the champion feline that lives today. Hercules was born twenty years ago in the States. His mother was the tigress Ayla, and his father was the lion Arthur. The employees of the institute, which specializes in the study of endangered species, managed to breed unusual offspring.
The record holder’s parents were kept in the same enclosure, as a result, their unusual child was born. At the age of four, Hercules became the largest known feline and set a record that is still unbroken.
The liger weighs 400 kg, while its large dimensions do not prevent it from running at a speed of about 802 km / h. On the hind legs, the animal reaches 3.7 meters. Veterinarians say the animal could have been bigger, but staff are monitoring its diet to prevent obesity. The daily diet of Hercules is controlled, only 9 kg of meat is given to him.
Hercules lives in Florida, in a local park he speaks to the public, demonstrating not only his gigantic size, but also tricks.
