A strange mixture of lion and tiger dwelling...

Zoo officials hope six-year-old Zita the ligress could breed with a lion in the Novosibirsk Zoo, who is believed to be a descendent of the big scary-looking black-maned beast that roamed the slopes of Cape Province and modern Cape Town.

"Cape Lions were considered extinct, but specialists dealing with endangered species in Africa saw pictures of the lions in our zoo. They recognized the subspecies that once inhabited their territory," zoo official Rosa Solovyova said.

The Cape Lion, distinguished from ordinary lions by their thick black mane and belly hair, was considered extinct after the last known animal was shot in 1858.

The massive animal, which could reach three meters in length and weigh up to 250 kg, bore a striking resemblance to Barbary lions Roman emperors brought from North Africa to torture Christians during Roman games.

The would-be couple mate is now only a cub. The two animals could be paired in about a year, the zoo official said. "They

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