Are These Cross-Breed Animals Even Real? (Beefalo, Manticore, Liger, Tigon, Zubron)

These exotic animal cross-breeds will have you scratching your head how this is even possible.

According to Persian mythology, the Manticore had the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and the head of a human. It was obviously the hybrid product of a very crazy swinging 60's style party. Many people who have heard of this myth are quite glad that such a creature doesn't really exist. Other people have taken the idea of mixing and matching animal parts to heart and started creating hybrids of their own (though none quite as bonkers as the mythological one).

Big Kitties Getting Bigger

Some of the most popular animals to cross for hybrids seem to be big cats. The largest of these is the Liger, which is the product of a male lion and female tiger getting friendly. The biggest Liger on record weighed nearly 1,000 pounds! Similar but not quite as huge, the Tigon is the offspring of a male tiger and a lioness. They get about as big as their parent species or somewhat bigger.

Crossing lions with other felines seems to be a popular hobby, as at least two other lion hybrids currently exist. Those are the Leopon (which you get from a male leopard and lioness) and a Jaglion (male jaguar and lioness). Neither of these hybrids exist in the wild as their parent species don't tend to cross paths. They're pretty rare in captivity as well, with only two Jaglions being known to exist.

Because humans just can't seem to get enough of their cats, there is even a domestic hybrid to get excited about. Created by crossing the wild Serval cat with domestic cats, the Savannah Cat is much bigger than it's tamed brethren. It also behaves more like a domestic dog, having no fear of water, learning to play fetch, and becoming very attached to human owners.

Cause Predators Aren't Already Intimidating Enough

Big cats aren't the only predators that have been hybridized. The Coywolf is a cross between the Eastern wolf and the common coyote. It tends to be bigger than it's coyote ancestors, but not much different in other ways than the parent species.

The Grolar Bear is not, as it may sound, a purveyor of fine microbeers ("growler", get it?). Instead it is a cross between a Grizzly bear and a Polar bear. It definitely looks like a mix of the two species, though it acts more like its Polar bear side of the family. Both of these predators can be found in the wild though there haven't been a lot of them found.

Cross-Breeding for a Cause

Some hybrids were created to serve a specific purpose. The Zubron is a cross between a domestic cow and a Bison. They were made to be a replacement for cattle though that hasn't really worked out. There is currently only one herd of them left in Poland. The Beefalo is a similar mix of domestic cow and Buffalo. They were first created in the 1800s as an animal that would be hardier than cattle but provide as much or more meat. Beefalo have mixed in so thoroughly with the wild Buffalo population in America that now there are only five herds of Buffalo left that do not carry some cow genes.

Camas are another hybrid created with a specific purpose in mind. Made by breeding a male camel to a female llama, it's the hair as opposed to the meat of the Cama that is on demand. They have a coat much like a Camels, but it's long and clippable like a llama. Cama hair has not taken off like the breeders originally intended, and there are only about five of the animals in the world.

Goat-sheep hybrids are so rare they don't even have a specific name. They're born of very similar animals so basically look and act like their parent species. They could be good for grazing acreage or providing wool, though there are so few in existence it's hard to tell the kind of use they could be.

A Horse of a Different Color

Mules are hybrids that have been around for a long time. They are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse and are usually sterile (meaning they can't make little mules on their own). A Hinny is commonly known as a "reverse mule". They're born of a male donkey and a female horse. They tend to have donkey body features and horse head features.

Donkeys and horses aren't the only equines to be hybridized either. Zebroids are a cross between a Zebra and any other equine species. They often have the coloring of Zebras and the body type of whatever species they are mixed with. They also tend to have the personalities of Zebras, being rather wild and hard to domesticate. So all of those people wanting a striped horse to ride might find themselves on the receiving end of bucking broncos instead.

Wetter is Better

Land animals are not the only ones to accidentally or on purpose find themselves hybridized. Narlugas are a cross between Narwhals and Beluga whales. They are found in captivity as well as in the wild, though sightings of them are not super common. It is believed that they are cross-breeding in the ocean because their territories are colliding more due to global warming.

Wholphins are a bit of a cheat on the whole hybrid thing. While they sound like a cross between a whale and a dolphin, they are actually born from a male False Killer whale and a female Bottlenose dolphin. False Killer whales are actually categorized as dolphins, though their skull shape makes them similar to actual Orcas (Killer whales)