Ligers are the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger, and share qualities of each species. Ligers usually have a tiger-like striping pattern on a lion-like tawny background. Since lions and tigers naturally do not share the same ranges, ligers are not known to exist in the wild. The liger is the largest cat in the world, possibly resulting from imprinted genes or growth dysphasia.

Our liger, Hercules, was a result of an accident rather than deliberate breeding or artificial insemination. Eating about 20 pounds of meat every day, he stands at over 11 feet tall and weighs more than 900 lbs. Guinness Book of World Records recognizes Hercules as the largest cat on Earth.