# Liger cubs born in Russia - WARNING: Very cute! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 20, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422 "2013-06-20T01:58:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/1 "2013-06-20T01:58:05Z")
[https://socialreader.com/me/content/WSIKL?chid=80162&\_p=article\_related[0](https://socialreader.com/me/content/WSIKL?chid=80162&_p=article_related%5B0) Feel free to skip the _Napoleon Dynamite_ jokes… ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/2 "2013-06-20T02:01:18Z")
Nitpick: they are liliger cubs. The father is a lion the mother a liger. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/3 "2013-06-20T02:08:01Z")
Duliliy noted. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/4 "2013-06-20T07:42:47Z")
Dear Lord, that’s some concentrated cute right there. I’m mildly surprised that they’re even possible – aren’t hybrids like liger always sterile? I know mules are. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/5 "2013-06-20T08:59:40Z")
But who would win in a fight? ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/6 "2013-06-20T09:41:45Z")
But why are they spotted like that? Is there some leopard in the mix too? ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/7 "2013-06-20T09:55:03Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > But why are they spotted like that? Is there some leopard in the mix too? Actually, that’s just from the father, who is a lion. All lion cubs are born spotted; the spots fade with time as they grow. Photo of a 100% lion cub, as example, [here](http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/275/cache/lion-cub-standing-on-rock_27535_600x450.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/8 "2013-06-20T10:50:54Z")
> [@shantih](#): > > Dear Lord, that’s some concentrated cute right there. I’m mildly surprised that they’re even possible – aren’t hybrids like liger always sterile? I know mules are. And now that I’ve had coffee and been up long enough to think coherent thoughts, I’ve looked it up and I’m fascinated to learn that, while many hybrids are indeed sterile because of the unequal number of chromosomes in the parents, there have been a number of instances of female mules having offspring. Huh! Learn something new every day. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/9 "2013-06-20T11:19:39Z")
Moved from Cafe Society to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/10 "2013-06-20T13:10:02Z")
Sorry to break the chain of cute comments, but this sort of stuff really bugs me- modern zoos really should not be deliberately breeding animals which can never be released, or part of any conservation programme, especially large animals which take up masses of resources. Yes, they’re all very cute babies, but who’s actually got the space to look after three more adult hybrid big cats properly? Wouldn’t that space be better used for animals in well-run breeding programs, rather than for novelty hybrids? At least (as far as I know) these aren’t really prone to serious health problems, unlike the horribly inbred ‘white lions’, but I still think it’s very irresponsible. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/11 "2013-06-20T13:15:06Z")
I wonder if the [AZA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Zoos_and_Aquariums) would have a problem with it if it occurred in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Septima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Septima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Septima)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/12 "2013-06-20T23:35:58Z")
[QUOTE=JoseB] Actually, that’s just from the father, who is a lion. All lion cubs are born spotted; the spots fade with time as they grow. Photo of a 100% lion cub, as example, here [/QUOTE] That is so cool, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/13 "2013-06-21T01:30:48Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Sorry to break the chain of cute comments, but this sort of stuff really bugs me- modern zoos really should not be deliberately breeding animals which can never be released, or part of any conservation programme, especially large animals which take up masses of resources. > > Yes, they’re all very cute babies, but who’s actually got the space to look after three more adult hybrid big cats properly? Wouldn’t that space be better used for animals in well-run breeding programs, rather than for novelty hybrids? That zoo is freaking terrifying. I was there in the summer of 1995. Somewhere I still have photos of teenage girls entering cages, unprotected, to feed the big cats loaves of bread. Because, you know, that’s what big cats actually want to eat, right? I suspect they were having budget issues then, and sure hope things have improved in the interim. ---
**Author:** ![Gleena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b3f665/32.png) [@Gleena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gleena)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/14 "2013-06-21T02:00:06Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I wonder if the [AZA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Zoos_and_Aquariums) would have a problem with it if it occurred in the US. Yes. > **[National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/)** > > Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/15 "2013-06-21T13:36:50Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > That zoo is freaking terrifying. I was there in the summer of 1995. Somewhere I still have photos of teenage girls entering cages, unprotected, to feed the big cats loaves of bread. Because, you know, that’s what big cats actually want to eat, right? Yes. Oh, did you mean the bread or the girls? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/16 "2013-06-26T03:58:05Z")
I thought I was going to die of squee from the pictures of the mother liger licking the cubs and carrying them in her mouth! > [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > That zoo is freaking terrifying. I was there in the summer of 1995. Somewhere I still have photos of teenage girls entering cages, unprotected, to feed the big cats loaves of bread. Because, you know, that’s what big cats actually want to eat, right? It’s what my Siamese mix actually wants to eat. I keep trying to explain the whole carnivore thing to her. I buy her food where the first ingredient is chicken, not the cheap food that’s mostly corn. But what she really likes is treats where the first ingredient is corn. Just because something isn’t what an animal would naturally eat or what is best for an animal to eat doesn’t mean that animal doesn’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/17 "2013-06-26T04:53:50Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > That zoo is freaking terrifying. I was there in the summer of 1995. Somewhere I still have photos of teenage girls entering cages, unprotected, to feed the big cats loaves of bread. Because, you know, that’s what big cats actually want to eat, right? > > I suspect they were having budget issues then, and sure hope things have improved in the interim. There are worse [zoos](http://www.cracked.com/article_19221_the-5-most-terrifying-zoo-exhibits-ever_p2.html). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2013, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liger-cubs-born-in-russia-warning-very-cute/661422/18 "2013-06-26T05:42:28Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > It’s what my Siamese mix actually wants to eat. I keep trying to explain the whole carnivore thing to her. I buy her food where the first ingredient is chicken, not the cheap food that’s mostly corn. But what she really likes is treats where the first ingredient is corn. Just because something isn’t what an animal would naturally eat or what is best for an animal to eat doesn’t mean that animal doesn’t like it. I had a cat who liked salsa. Flaming hot salsa.