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Lion

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For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation).

"Lions" redirects here. For the album by the Black Crowes, see Lions (album).

Lion

Conservation status: Vulnerable

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. leo

Binomial name

Panthera leo
(Linnaeus, 1758)

The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. It is the largest and most powerful living felid with the exception of the tiger, and the liger. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg (550 lb) Females are much smaller, weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb). In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20. Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more unrelated males who mate with the adult females. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute much more to hunting than the amount for which they had been previously given credit. Both males and females will defend the pride against outside intruders. Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. When or if a male coalition takes over a pride and ousts the previous coalition, the conquerors often kill any cubs even if they did father them.

The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Turkey to India through Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest of northwestern India. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat.

Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape Lion, the European Cave Lion (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American lion (subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma).

Lions are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry, particularly in the UK, where the lion is also a national symbol of the British people. Lions appear in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. No animal has been given more attention in art and literature. C.A.W. Guggisberg, in his book Simba, says the lion is referred to 130 times in the Bible, for example in 1 Peter 5:8 where the Devil is compared to a roaring lion: `seeking someone to devour`.

The lion can also be found in stone age cave paintings.

Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white lions do exist, in Timbavati, South Africa. There is a recessive gene in white lions that gives them their unusual color (also causing white tigers, many white tigers with this gene are bred for zoos and animal shows). A white lion has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting; their white color can give away their hiding place.

1 Lion Subspecies
2 Attacks on humans
3 Cross-breeding with tigers
4 Morphology of the lion skull
5 See also
6 External links and references

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Lion Subspecies

The main differences between lion subspecies are location, size and mane appearance, however some of the forms listed below are debatable. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern lions derived from one common ancestor only ca. 55,000 years ago, therefore most sub-saharan lions could be considered a single subspecies. Notable exceptions would be the cape lion (P. l. melanochaita) and the kalahari lion (P. l. Verneyi).

Asiatic Lioness Panthera leo persica, name MOTI, born in Helsinki Zoo (Finland) October 1994, arrived Bristol Zoo (England) January 1996

Panthera leo azandica - North East Congo lion.
Panthera leo bleyenberghi - Katanga lion.
Panthera leo europaea - European lion. Extinct around 100AD due to hunting and competition from feral dogs. From France to the Balkans.
Panthera leo hollisteri - Congo lion.
Panthera leo krugeri - South African lion.
Panthera leo leo - Barbary lion; extinct in the wild. This was the largest of the lion subspecies, which ranged from Morocco to Egypt. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922 due to excessive hunting. Barbary lions were kept by Roman emperors, who ordered the capture of literally thousands of individuals to fight in the gladiator arenas. Roman notables, including Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, often ordered the mass slaughter of Barbary lions - up to 400 at a time. [1]
Panthera leo massaicus - Massai lion.
Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion; extinct in 1860.
Panthera leo nubica - East African lion.
Panthera leo persica - Asiatic lion. 200 currently exist in the Gir Forest of India. Once widespread from Turkey, across the Middle East, to India and Bangladesh, but large prides and daylight activity made it easier to poach than tigers or leopards.
Panthera leo roosevelti - Abyssinian lion.
Panthera leo senegalensis - West African lion, or Senegal lion.
Panthera leo somaliensis - Somali lion.
Panthera leo verneyi - Kalahari lion. Distinct behaviour and anatomy has been observed in this subspecies.

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Attacks on humans

While a hungry lion will probably attack a human that passes near, some (usually male) lions seem to seek out human prey. Some of the more publicized cases include the Tsavo man-eaters and the Mfuwe man-eater. In both cases the hunters who slew the lions wrote books detailing the lions' "careers" as man-eaters. In folklore, man-eating lions are sometimes considered demons.

The Mfuwe and Tsavo incidents did bear some similarities. The lions in both the incidents were all larger than normal, lacked manes and seemed to suffer from tooth decay. Some have speculated that they might belong to an unclassified species of lion, or that they may have been sick and couldn't have easily caught prey.

There have also been recorded attacks on humans by lions in captivity.

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Cross-breeding with tigers

Lions have also been known to breed with their close counterparts, tigers (most often Amur), while in captivity to create interesting mixes. These two new breeds are called ligers and tigons.

The liger originates from mating a male lion and a tigress. Because the lion passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female lion is not present, ligers are larger than either parent. It is said that ligers do not stop growing and will grow constantly through their lifespan, until their bodies cannot sustain their huge size any longer, reaching up to half a tonne. Ligers share some qualities of both their parents (spots and stripes) however they enjoy swimming, a purely tiger activity, and they are always a sandy color like the lion. Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often fertile.

The tigon is a cross between the lioness and the male tiger. Because the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene and the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene, tigons are often relatively small, only weighing up to 150 kilograms (350 lb), which is about 20% smaller than lions. They can best be described as "housecat-like" in appearance, although with round ears. Like male ligers, male tigons are sterile, and they all have both spots and stripes, with yellow eyes. Tigons are not as common as ligers because they are not as visually impressive, thus they do not draw as much attention from audiences. Tigons are also more difficult to produce as male tigers are less attracted to lionesses because of their smaller size and are thought to have difficulty with recognizing lioness breeding cues.

Female ligers and female tigons are fertile and can produce offspring if mated to either a pure-bred lion or a pure-bred tiger.