Jaguar-leopard Hybrids

Mammalian Hybrids

EUGENE M. MCCARTHY, PHD GENETICS, ΦΒΚ

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A male jagulep

Given that their parents’ ranges are isolated on separate continents, jaguar-leopard hybrids occur only in captivity. They are known under various names, “lepjags” (jaguar female × leopard male) or “jaguleps” (jaguar-leopardess). Other names are “jagopards” (jaguar-leopardess) and “leguars” (jaguar female × leopard male).

Hybrids of both sexes have been reported. Mentions of fertile female jaguar-leopard hybrids seem all to refer to hybrids from leopard mothers.

Jaguar-leopard hybrids were intentionally produced at Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich during the early 1900s. During that same era, other such hybrids were also produced in Chicago. According to Karl Shuker,

At the turn of the century a male jaguar had mated with a leopardess at Chicago Zoo, the result of which was a litter of three jagupards (aka jaguleps), one male and two females. All three were later sold to a travelling menagerie, but whereas the male was killed by a lion his two sisters grew to adulthood, and both of them mated with a lion. Remarkably, these matings were viable, yielding several cubs — and it was one of these that found its way to London Zoo, deceitfully billed as a new species.

In a letter to The Field (Nov. 2nd, 1912), Reginald Innes Pocock, Superintendent of the London Zoo from 1904 to 1923, discusses this three-way hybrid

Reginald Innes Pocock
(1863-1947)

bred at Chicago between a male lion and a female cross between a jaguar and a leopard, the true story of which, accompanied by a good figure by Mr. Frohawk, may be found in the Field for April 18 and 25, and May 9, 1908. The final episode in the history of that animal has, I believe, not yet been told. After being exhibited in the Zoological Gardens and at the White City it went to Glasgow, where, according to a sensational press notice, it was killed by a lion, which broke down the partition between the cages and made short work of its opponent. That this story was of a piece with the original account of the hybrid given out when it first appeared on the market may be inferred from the condition of the dressed skin, which had no sign of a tear or scratch upon it in London shortly after the alleged tragedy. The chief difference between this hybrid of three species and the lion-leopard born at Kolhapur lies in the size of the spots, those of the former being large and jaguar-like, as might be expected, while those of the latter are small and more leopard-like.

This hybrid was placed in the Zoological Gardens of London on April 14, 1908, and is probably the same individual that was later stuffed and put on display as a jaglion at the Natural History Museum at Tring (see image below).

Frederick W. Frohawk’s illustration of the three-way cross described above, lion ♂ × (jaguar × leopardess) ♀.

jaguar-leopard-hybrid

This specimen, on display at the Tring Museum, was labeled as a jaglion (lion x jaguar), but is probably the three-way cross discussed above: lion × (jaguar × leopard). Image: Sarah Hartwell

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Bibliography >>

Biology Dictionary >>

Publications consulted: Anonymous 1948; Antonius 1951a; Bartlett and Bartlett 1900; de Lavison 1863; Fitzinger 1855 (includes picture of hybrid), 1868, 1869; Flower 1929a (p. 79); Gray 1972; Hemmer 1966 (Figs. 79, 82), 1968c; International Zoo Yearbook 1970, 1971; Kemna 1953; Leyhausen 1950; Mitchell 1930; Noack 1908a, 1908b; Peters 1978; Petzsch 1951, 1956; Pohle 1969; Przibram 1910; Rörig 1903; Severtzov 1858; Windischbauer 1968 (includes picture of hybrid); Urbain and Rinjard 1950. PictureS: tinyurl.com/had9skq; Internet: tinyurl.com/hey3grd.

A list of cat crosses

The following is a list of reported cat crosses. Some of these crosses are much better documented than others (as indicated by the reliability arrow). Indeed, some might seem completely impossible. But all have been reported at least once. The links below are to separate articles. Additional crosses, not listed here, are covered on the cat hybrids page.

Cat × Pallas’s Cat >>

Cat × Rabbit (Cabbits) >>