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Tigards, Jaglions, Liguars, Jigers and other big cat hybrids

The cat family can breed in sometimes surprising combinations. Here are a few.

Tigard

This animal would have a tiger for a father and a leopard for a mother. Due to the vast difference in size between these two animals, this would be too harsh for the leopard mother. The only Tigard reported have been stillborn.

Reputable zoos try to avoid the production of hybrids. Some private zoos and circuses still have them.

lions and leopards

Lions and leopards can also occur in the same areas. There are several factors that make a hybrid between the two less likely than with Leopards and Tiger. For one thing, lionesses are usually in a pride and are less likely to run into a horny male leopard. Solitary male lions are more common than solitary lionesses, but the difference in size makes mating less likely with the male lion and the female leopard. However, there are quite a few reports of natural hybrids between these two species.

Again, as with the leopard and tiger crosses, there must be doubts about the accuracy of the identification of these putative hybrids.

Jaglions and Liguars

Although there have been reports of natural crosses between lions and tigers; lions and leopards; and leopards and tigers, a natural cross between jaguars and the other three big cat species is virtually impossible because they come from different continents.

They hybridize in captivity.

HAS jaglion He has a jaguar father and a lioness mother.

HAS flirt he has a lion mother and a jaguar mother.

jaguars and leopards

These two species have been crossed in both combinations, producing Jagupards and Liguars.

jaguars and tigers

A male Siberian tiger has sired a tiger to a female Jaguar, but it has not been reversed to produce a JaggerOr should I be a Jigger, or maybe a Jiger?

Reasons to produce hybrids

Perhaps we should look at the reasons for making these exotic crosses.

Profit

One reason is simply profit. Some private companies have found these hybrids to be very popular exhibits. If there is no cruelty involved, this may be a valid reason, although serious zoos tend to focus on their conservation responsibilities.

Accidental

There are several cases of crosses that occur without the owners planning it.

Science

Some scientific information has been obtained from these crosses. In some cases, we may need to rethink our ideas about relationships between different species.

hybrid leopard puma

The Puma is not classified as a Big Cat, although it is as big as a Leopard. It came as a surprise to many scientists that the Puma can be interbred with a Leopard. Not all of the attempted crosses survived, but some have. This is a case where some scientists have begun to rethink the puma’s relationship with big cats.

Cougar Jaguar Hybrids

Leopards and pumas come from different continents, so it is unlikely that they would interbreed naturally. The Jaguar and Puma ranges overlap quite a bit. Of course, these two species occupy different ecological niches, but they must meet from time to time.

There have been many reports of natural hybrids between these two species, but there are questions about the accuracy of the identification of the apparent hybrids.

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