In one of the theme parks of the American city of Miami lives an unusual animal - a liger named Hercules.
A liger is a hybrid between a lion and a tigress.
Hercules' unusualness lies not only in his unusual origin. There are about 25 more ligers in the world.
The animal's uniqueness lies in its enormous size.
Hercules is recognized as the largest representative of the feline family on Earth.
It was in this status that the liger entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2006.
What is known about the liger Hercules
He was born 22 years ago at the Institute for Endangered and Rare Species in the American state of Florida.
Hercules' father is the lion Arthur, and his mother is the lioness Aela.
The animal is similar to a lion in many ways. But there are also serious differences: the presence of stripes on the body and the absence of a mane.
Hercules runs fast (he can reach speeds of 80 kilometers per hour), swims well, and is in good health.
Moreover, the creature truly amazed zoologists with its size.
If Hercules stood on his paws, his height would be 3.7 meters.
The liger is 3.6 meters long and weighs over 410 kilograms. These figures are record-breaking for members of the cat family.
It is worth emphasizing that despite his considerable weight, Hercules is not obese.
