This liger, named Hercules, is a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. He stands over ten feet tall on his hind legs, and at over 410 kg (904lb) is recognized as the largest living feline on earth.
Born the heaviest among a litter of four in November 2001, Hercules lives at the Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife preserve in South Carolina.
Pictured here with his devoted friend and carer, Dr. Bhagavan Antle, Hercules will typically eat about 20lb of meat a day (but is capable of devouring over 100lb in a single meal).
Hercules was the unplanned result of two very large cats living in close quarters at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, Miami, Florida.
Dr. Bhagavan Antle, a pioneering and committed wildlife preservationist, shares an extraordinary bond with this awesome feline beast -- Hercules is one of the world's most powerful land-dwellers and can run at over 50mph.
Outside of a handful of zoos and controlled environments, ligers are extremely rare as they virtually never occur in the wild today -- given that the shrinking habitats of lions and tigers no longer over-lap.
Hercules with his younger brother Aries sitting on his head -- let's hope that the efforts of conservationists like Dr. Antle and others can help preserve the endangered habitats and lives of the world's great cats worldwide!
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