Adorable liger cub — lion and tiger hybrid — turns 100 days old in zoo
A baby liger celebrated turning 100 days old in central China on September 15.
Jing Jing was born on April 26, one of three cubs, to a female liger and a male tiger — the first of its kind in the world.
A liger is usually the offspring of a lion and a tiger. Ligers are possible because species that are genetically similar can create offspring. But they are often barren or not fully fertile. Mules, for example, are the offspring of a horse and a donkey, but they are born completely sterile.
However, ligers can reproduce because of the chromosomal similarities between lions and tigers. Still, they usually can only do so with lions or tigers and female ligers usually have an easier time than males. Unlike the grizzly and Polar bear hybrids spotted in Canada that scientists believe have fully fertile offspring, the jury has been out on whether two ligers can successfully reproduce and whether that offspring would be sterile.
Footage provided by Newsflare shows Jing Jing eating meat and playing in his habitat.
Ligers inherit characteristics from both species. Male ligers have smaller manes, but both sexes tend to have broad heads and faint tiger stripes. They like to swim like tigers, while lions avoid the water. However, these hybrids grow to be much larger than either species and males usually reach a length of 10 to 12 feet. Thus, ligers have been dubbed the largest cats in the world.
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If you enjoyed this story, check out this proud cheetah pose with her four baby cubs.
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