China's only live tiglons, a cross between a tiger and a lion, met public Thursday in Shenzhen, a southern boom city in Guangdong Province.

The twins have been thriving in intensive care since they were born on May 12 at a wild animal park in Shenzhen, said Zhao Yunhua, head of the park's management department.

The cubs' mother is a lion, called Ming Ming, and their tiger father is called Su Min, said Zhao, adding the two babies' faces are more like lion but the white streaks on the body show their tiger characteristics.

Although the twins were in a good health now, however, due to genetic deficiency, crossbred animals such as tiglons, have a relatively short life expectancy, said Zhao.

The survival record for a tiglon in China is 113 days. The normal life expectancy for both tigers and lions is around 20 years.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2005)