What's a ligre?

I'm sure that all of you Napoleon Dynamite fans remember this conversation between Napoleon and Deb.

Deb: What are you drawing?
Napoleon: A ligre.
Deb: What's a ligre?
Napoleon: It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic.

Today we are here to find out if Napoleon really knows his hybrids. A ligre is in fact a combination of a lion and a tiger and it does in fact exist (see picture below), although for those of you seeking to improve you capacity for magic, I would not recommend buying one. A ligre is when a female lion mates with a male tiger (the female is always first).


Hybrids are formed when two species that are reproductively seperated pre-zygotically (geographic or behavioral isolation) but that , under the right circumstances, and form offspring. When the mood is right, you can end up with a Tigon, Yalkalo, Wolphin, Geep, Beefalo, or Zonkey, to name a few. When this occurs, some pretty interesting outcomes can occur. For some great hybrid pictures follow this link.


So the next time you are watching Napoleon Dynamite, remember hybrids and the amazing things that nature can produce when the circumstances are right.