A liger cub enjoys an unlikely encounter with three dolphins in these amazing photos taken at a safari park.
The six-week-old cat – the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger – and the trio of aquatic mammals were equally fascinated by each other.
Nose to the glass at one point, the liger came face-to-face with the dolphins at Shenzhen Safari Park in Southern China, bordering Hong Kong.
Eye of the liger: The cub – the offspring of a male lion and female tiger – stares in fascination at the dolphin
Roaring time: The liger at first growled when he first saw the aquatic creatures at Shenzhen Safari Park, China
At first he growled a bit, unsure of what the strange finned creatures were and whether they posed any threat.
But the he quickly grew to like the dolphins and was happy enough to curl up by the glass and rest for a while as they watched over the little liger.
He won’t be little for long, though.
The cub, who is one of 14 at the park, will be expected to grow to up to 12ft in length and weigh up to 50st.
Flippin’ ‘eck: The six-week-old cub and a dolphin go face-to-face between glass as they become more curious
Grrreat, thanks! Now I need a rest: Two dolphins watch over the liger while he slumps down to take a break
Ligers are the largest big cats in the world as they are usually bigger than either parent.
Because of their size, tigresses – which are smaller than lionesses – risk dying when they give birth to ligers and so they are normally delivered via caesarian section.
There are also two tigons – the offspring of a male tiger and a lioness – at Shenzhen Safari Park, making it the only place in the world to have both hybrid cats.
