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

Tigard

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

Reputable zoos try to avoid the production of hybrids. Some zoos and private 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 Tigers. 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 lone lionesses, but the size difference makes mating with male lions and female leopards less likely. 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 some question about the accuracy of the identification of these putative hybrids.

Jagliones and Liguares

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

They hybridize in captivity.

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

IN flirt He has a lion for a mother and a jaguar mother.

Jaguars and leopards

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

jaguars and tigers

A male Siberian tiger has fathered a Tiger to a female Jaguar, but it has not been done the other way around to produce a jagger, or should 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 responsibilities towards conservation.

Accidental

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

Sciences

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

leopard cougar hybrids

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

Puma Jaguar Hybrids

Leopards and cougars 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.