Cave Leo horoscope. Joseph Roney Sr. - Cave Lion. Lifestyle. Nutrition

Spreading

In Europe, the first lions appeared about 700,000 years ago and belonged to the subspecies Panthera leo fossilis, the so-called Mosbach lion. The fact that it is sometimes also called the cave lion can be misleading. As a rule, the term cave lion refers to a later subspecies Panthera leo spelaea. Mosbach lions reached a length of up to 2.4 m excluding the tail, and were half a meter larger than modern lions. They were similar in size to a liger, a hybrid of a lion and a tigress. From this large subspecies came the cave lion, which appeared about 300,000 years ago. It was distributed throughout northern Eurasia and even during the Ice Ages penetrated deep to the north. In the northeast of Eurasia, a separate subspecies has formed, the so-called East Siberian cave lion ( Panthera leo vereshchagini), which reached the American continent through the then existing land connection between Chukotka and Alaska. Spreading south, it evolved into the American lion ( Panthera leo atrox). The East Siberian cave lion became extinct at the end of the last major glaciation about 10 thousand years ago. The European cave lion probably became extinct during the same period, but it is possible that it persisted for some time on the Balkan Peninsula. Regarding the lions that existed on it until the beginning of our era, it is unknown whether they were cave lions.

Appearance

Fossil skull

The skeleton of an adult male cave lion, found in 1985 near Siegsdorf, Germany, had a height at the withers of 1.20 m and a length of 2.1 m excluding the tail. This corresponds to a very large modern lion. At the same time, the Siegsdorf lion was inferior to many of its relatives. Cave lions were on average 5-10% larger than modern lions, but did not reach the enormous size of Mosbach lions and American lions. Stone Age cave paintings allow us to draw some conclusions about the coloring of the fur and mane of the cave lion. Particularly impressive images of lions were found in southern France in the Chauvet cave in the Ardèche department, as well as in the Vogelherdhöle cave in the Swabian Alb. Ancient drawings of cave lions always show them without a mane, which suggests that, unlike their African or Indian relatives, they either did not have one, or it was not as impressive. Often these images show the characteristic tuft on the tail of lions. The coloring of the fur, apparently, was one color.

Lifestyle

Cave lions on the hunt

Relatives

Unlike the Mosbach lion, regarding the classification of which as Panthera leo fossilis There has always been unanimity among scientists; there has been a long debate about the cave lion, whether it is a lion, a tiger, or even whether it should be distinguished as a separate species. In 2004, German scientists were able to unambiguously identify it using DNA analysis as a subspecies of lion. Thus, the dispute that had existed since the first description of this animal in 1810 was ended. However, the Pleistocene lions of the north formed their own group, distinct from the lions of Africa and Southeast Asia. To this so-called group Spelaea included the Mosbach lion ( P.l. fossilis), cave lion ( P.l. spelaea), East Siberian lion ( P.l. vereshchagini) and American lion ( P.l. atrox). All modern lion breeds belong to the group Leo. Both groups separated about 600 thousand years ago. Some fossil specimens of the extinct American lion were larger than the Mosbach lion and thus the largest felids that ever existed. They were previously considered a separate species, called the giant jaguar. According to the latest research, the American lion, like the cave lion, was not a separate species, but a subspecies of lions ( Panthera leo).

see also

Notes

Literature

• A. Turner: The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-231-10229-1
• J Burger: Molecular phylogeny of the extinct cave Lion Panthera leo spelea, 2003. Molecular phylogeny of cave lion.

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See what "Cave Lion" is in other dictionaries:

CAVE LION- extinct carnivorous mammal cat family. Lived in the 2nd half. Pleistocene, early Holocene, in Europe and North. Asia. The size of a large lion or tiger. He lived not in caves, but on the plains and foothills... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

CAVE LION- (Felts spelaea), extinct predatory mammal of the family. felines. Known from the Pleistocene to the beginning of modern times. era (Holocene) of Europe and North. Asia. It was larger in size than a tiger and a lion, and in its skeletal structure it had features of both of them. Lived on the plains and in... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

cave lion- an extinct carnivorous mammal of the cat family. He lived in the 2nd half of the Pleistocene and the beginning of the Holocene, in Europe and Northern Asia. The size of a large lion or tiger. He lived not in caves, but on the plains and foothills. * * * CAVE LION CAVE LION… … encyclopedic Dictionary

Cave lion- (Felis spelaea) is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the cat family. Lived in the second half of the Pleistocene and at the beginning of the Holocene in Europe and Northern Asia. In size it was the size of large modern lions or tigers, and in the skeletal structure, especially... ... Big Soviet encyclopedia

Once upon a time, ancient animals lived on our land. The cave lion is one of them. He became the ancestor of modern lions. We will tell you what a cave lion was like in those distant times in our article.

In ancient times, our planet was inhabited by amazing animals. Some of them are not at all similar to modern inhabitants of the Earth. But scientists believe that all modern animals descended from those same fossil ancestors. Today, thanks to computer technology, we can easily see what the ancestors of modern animals looked like, although only ancient people saw them with their own eyes, who left memories of these animals only in rock paintings.

The cave lion is one of these ancient animals. He is an ancient representative of the cat family, the order of carnivores and belonged to the genus panther. Scientists around the world have the opportunity to study this representative of the ancient fauna only from the remains of bones that are discovered during excavations.

How did scientists “get to know” the cave lion?

On the territory of the current Russian region, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in 1891, a scientist named Chersky found the femur of some large beast of prey. At that time, the scientist concluded that the fossil remains belonged to a representative of ancient tigers. After this discovery on long years the ancient “tigers” were forgotten...

Until, almost a hundred years later, Nikolai Vereshchagin made a statement that these bones belong to the descendants of lions, not tigers. A little later, he wrote the book “The Cave Lion and Its History in the Holarctic and within the USSR,” in which he described all his finds and research results.

Appearance of an ancient animal - a cave lion

Having modeled the skeleton of the animal from the remains, scientists determined that the height of the cave lion was about 120 centimeters at the withers, body length - 240 centimeters (excluding tail length). Cave paintings show that the mane of these ancient felines was not very impressive. Cave lions could not boast of hair like modern African lions. The wool was monochromatic. The tail was decorated with a small tassel.

Where and when did cave lions live?

The appearance of this species of mammal is attributed to a period of about 300 thousand years ago. At that time in the territory modern Europe The cave lion was first identified as an independent subspecies. This ancient animal inhabited the entire area of ​​the northern part of the Eurasian continent. Its habitat was modern Chukotka and Alaska, as well as the Balkan Peninsula.

Archaeological excavations have allowed scientists to prove the habitation of lions in the territory of modern countries, such as England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria. The territory of the former Soviet republics (USSR) was also inhabited by these ancient animals. Rock paintings were found near Odessa and Kyiv.

Cave lion lifestyle

Cave lions lived in prides, just like theirs. Although this lion is called a cave lion, in fact, it was rarely found in caves. This shelter was primarily intended for wounded or dying individuals who needed privacy. That is why so many remains are now found in caves.

What did the ancestors of modern lions eat?

The main food for these predators were large ungulates of that period: antelopes, deer, wild bulls and horses. Sometimes their prey was small bear cubs or giants

On our planet in different time lived a large number of fauna representatives. However, the populations of many animals began to decline. The main factors of extinction have always been considered to be those related to climate. But with the development of man, many animals disappeared forever. In this article we will talk about extinct wild cats.

Tasmanian tiger (marsupial tiger, Tasmanian wolf, thylacine)

One of the most mysterious animals that has been exterminated is the Tasmanian tiger.

It received its name in honor of its habitat - Tasmania. Despite the fact that to a large extent its name suggests the relationship of a mammal to the cat family, in fact it is a big misconception. Many researchers even classify the mammal as a subspecies of wild dogs.

Length adult could reach 1.4 meters excluding the tail. The length of the tail could exceed 60 cm. The weight of the animal was 6.35-7.7 kg.

European settlers who arrived on the Australian mainland began a rapid hunt for individuals of this species, arguing that Tasmanian tigers were stealers. livestock. By the 1920s, the animal population had been reduced so much that scientists had to list the species in the Red Book. Man finally exterminated the Tasmanian tiger in 1936.

Caspian tiger (Persian tiger, Turanian tiger)

The peculiarity of such tigers is their long stripes along the body, as well as their brown color. In winter, Caspian tigers developed sideburns, and the fur in the belly and entire body became very fluffy and thick.

The weight of the average Caspian tiger was 240 kg.

The Romans used Caspian tigers in gladiatorial fights.

The Caspian tiger lived in Central Asia, as well as the territory northern Caucasus. The rookery of the Caspian tiger could be observed up close in tropical impassable places. But they were all located quite close to the water. In just one day, the Turanian tiger could travel more than 100 km, which indicates the endurance of the extinct animal.

The latest mentions and studies related to this representative of the fauna date back to the 50s of the last century. On January 10, 1954, one of the last individuals was spotted on the territory of Turkmenistan, which migrated from the northern part of Iran. According to some sources, the last Caspian tiger was shot in southeastern Turkey in 1970.

Javan tiger

It got its name because of its main location - the island of Java, located in Indonesia.

Adults weighed 75-141 kg, body length about 2-2.5 meters.

It became extinct relatively recently - in the 1980s, due to habitat destruction, as well as poaching.

Bali tiger

Its habitat is the island of Bali, which is why it was called Balinese.

It is believed that the Bali and Javan tigers had the same ancestor.

The length of the tiger is 0.93-2.3 meters excluding the tail, weight is 65-100 kg.

Externally, this tiger among all subspecies was distinguished by the smallest number of black stripes. There could be dark spots between the stripes.

The tiger is often mentioned in folk stories and in fine arts peoples of the island of Bali.

Bali tigers were destroyed by hunters. The last tiger was killed in 1937.

Pleistocene tiger

The most mysterious feline subspecies, known from fragmentary remains.

Lived in Russia, China and the island of Java.

This is rather an early version of the modern tiger.

European cheetah (giant cheetah)

Lived in Eurasia approximately 500 thousand years ago.

Body length is 1.3-1.5 meters excluding the tail. Weight 60-90 kg. Height 90-120 cm.

Historians have discovered the remains of this cat in Europe, India and China.

Outwardly, he looked like a modern cheetah. The color of this animal remains a mystery. There are suggestions that the European cheetah had long hair.

The European cheetah most likely became extinct due to competition with other cats, which did not leave a free niche for this large predator.

Miracinonyx

Possibly a distant relative of the cheetah. Probably the ancestor of the puma.

Lived about 3 million years ago on the American continent.

Outwardly, it was similar to a modern cheetah, had a shortened skull, with enlarged nasal cavities and high-set teeth.

It was approximately the size of a modern cheetah.

Miracinonyx became extinct 20-10 thousand years ago due to climate change, lack of food and human hunting for it.

European Jaguar (Gombaszog Panther)

Lived approximately 1.5 million years ago, and is the earliest known species Panther genus in Europe.

European jaguars weighed on average about 120-160 kg. They were larger than modern jaguars.

The European jaguar was most likely a solitary animal. He lived in forests, but could also hunt in open spaces.

Pleistocene jaguar

It is believed that it descended from a giant jaguar. Appeared approximately 1.6 million years ago.

It was 1 meter in height, 1.8-2 meters long, excluding the tail, and weighed 150-190 kg.

Pleistocene jaguars lived in dense jungles, swampy floodplains or coastal areas of the Northern and South America.

Extinct 10 thousand years ago.

Giant Jaguar

Lived in North America 1.6 million years ago.

There were two subspecies of giant jaguars - North American and South American.

The jaguar had long legs and a tail, and was the size of a modern lion or tiger.

Scientists believe that jaguars lived on open plains, but due to competition with lions and other big cats, they were forced to find more wooded areas.

Extinct 10 thousand years ago.

Barbary lion (Atlas lion or Nubian lion)

The weight of an adult is 100-270 kg.

This animal was considered the largest lion subspecies. The Barbary lion differed from its fellows in its thick and dark mane, which extended far beyond its shoulders and hung down in the lower abdomen.

In past years, it could be found in Africa, in the northern part of the Sahara Desert. It was brought by Europeans to the Roman Empire, where it was used for entertainment purposes, namely fighting with the Turanian tiger.

At the beginning of the 17th century, its population declined sharply, as a result of which it was visible only in northwest Africa. Due to the fact that at that time the use of firearms against animals, as well as the presence of targeted policies against the Barbary lion have led to a decline in numbers in the region. The last individual was killed in 1922 in the Atlas Mountains on the territory of their Moroccan part.

Cave lion

2.1 meters long, up to 1.2 meters high.

The ancestor of the cave lion is considered to be the Mosbach lion.

Lived in northern Eurasia.

The cave lion, despite its name, did not live in caves, but came there only during periods of illness or old age.

It is believed that cave lions were social animals and lived, like modern lions, in prides.

American lion

Lived approximately 11 thousand years ago.

Body length is about 2.5 meters excluding the tail. The American lion weighed more than 400 kg.

The American lion is descended from the cave lion, whose ancestor is the Mosbach lion. In appearance, it most likely looked like a hybrid of a modern lion and a tiger, but perhaps without the huge mane.

Mosbach lion

Lived about 300 thousand years ago.

The body length of an adult individual reached 2.5 meters excluding the tail; the lions were about 1.3 meters in height. The Mosbach lion weighed up to 450 kg.

It turns out that this was the largest and heaviest subspecies of lion that ever existed.

The cave lion evolved from the Mosbach lion.

Xenosmilus

Lived in the territory of modern North America about 1.8 million years ago.

Xenosmilus weighed up to 350 kg, and its body size was about 2 meters.

Xenosmilus had a powerful build and short but strong legs, and had not very long upper fangs.

Homotherium

Lived in Eurasia, Africa and North America 3-3.5 million years ago.

The ancestor of Homotheria is Machairod.

The height of homotherium is up to 1.1 meters, weight is about 190 kg.

The forelimbs are somewhat longer than the hind limbs, the tail is short - Homotherium was more like a hyena than big cat. Homotherians had relatively short upper canines, but they were wider and serrated.

Homotherians had a difference from all cats - they saw better during the day rather than at night.

Extinct 10 thousand years ago.

Mahairod

Lived in Eurasia, Africa and North America about 15 million years ago.

The name of the genus comes from the resemblance of the teeth of its representatives to the curved swords of the Mahaira. Mahairods looked like giant tigers with 35-centimeter saber fangs.

This saber-toothed tiger weighed up to 200 kg and was up to 3 meters long.

They became extinct about 2 million years ago.

Smilodon

Lived in America from 2.5 million to 10 thousand years BC. e.

Smilodon was the largest saber-toothed cat, reaching a height at the withers of 1.25 meters, a length of 2.5 meters including a 30-centimeter tail and weighed from 225 to 400 kg.

He had a stocky build, atypical for modern cats. The coloring of these animals could be uniform, but most likely they were spotted, like a leopard; it is also possible that males had a short mane.

Smilodon fangs were up to 29 centimeters long (including the root), and, despite their fragility, were powerful weapons.

Scientists believe that Smilodon were social animals. They lived in groups. The pride was fed by females.

The name "smilodon" means "dagger tooth".

One of the famous cartoon characters Diego from the cartoon " glacial period“This is exactly what Smilodon is.

Tilakosmil (Marsupial saber-toothed tiger)

Lived in South America approximately 5 million years ago.

It was 0.8-1.8 meters long.

It died out 2.5 million years ago, probably unable to withstand competition with the first saber-toothed cats, in particular with Homotherium.

Outwardly, thilacosmil was a large, powerful, stocky predator with huge fangs. His upper incisors were missing.

In general, thilacosmil was not a relative saber tooth tigers from the cat family, rather simply similar look living in the same conditions.

The German paleontologist Goldfus described the skull of a large cat, the size of a lion, found in 1810 in a cave in Franconia (Bass, middle Rhine) under the name Felis spelaea, i.e. “cave cats”. Later, similar skulls and other bones were found and described in North America under the name Felis atrox, i.e. “terrible cat.” Then they found the remains of cave lions in Siberia, the Southern and Northern Urals, the Crimea and the Caucasus. Meanwhile, the figure of a cave lion in the harsh landscapes of icy Europe, and even more so in Siberia, with its bitter frosts, seemed as fantastic as the figure of an elephant, and raised doubts and thoughts among experts. After all, we are accustomed to associate the lion with the hot savannas and jungles of India and Africa, the semi-deserts of Asia Minor and Arabia. Was such a large cat really found at the same time and together with hairy mammoths, the same rhinoceroses, fluffy reindeer, shaggy bison and musk oxen in Northern Europe, Asia, Alaska and America?

Since the last century, some paleontologists believed that Quaternary period cave lions and tits lived in Europe, others - that there were ordinary and cave lions, but there were no tigers, others - that lions of African origin lived in Europe and Northern Asia. They lived in the Balkans until the time of Aristotle and attacked Persian caravans in Thrace, and later survived only in South Asia and Africa. Finally, due to the fact that the ancient Greeks and Romans brought tens and hundreds of lions from Africa and Asia Minor for circus and combat purposes, such animals could have been imported to Europe - escaped from menageries.

There were vague ideas about the habitat of lions and tigers in both Siberia and North America. After the Siberian paleontologist I.D. Chersky identified the femur of a cat from the mouth of the Lena as a tiger, our zoologists began to write that tigers had spread earlier before Arctic Ocean, and now they only enter southern Yakutia as far as Aldan. Czech zoologist V. Mazak even placed the homeland of tigers in the Amur-Ussuri region. American paleontologists Maryem and Stock, having studied the skeletons and skulls of terrible lions that fell into asphalt pits in California 15 thousand years ago, believed that these lions were, firstly, similar to Eurasian ones, and secondly, descended from the American jaguar ( I).

There is, however, an opinion that in the Pleistocene the composition mammoth fauna lived special kind giant cat - cave lion (Vereshchagin, 1971).

Some scientists believe that cave lions looked more like tigers and had transverse tiger stripes on their sides. This opinion is clearly erroneous. Modern southern cats - tiger, lynx, puma, settling north into the taiga zone, lose their bright stripes and spots, acquiring a pale color, which helps them camouflage in winter against the background of dull northern landscapes. While carving the outlines of cave lions on the walls of the caves, the ancient artists did not make a single hint about the spots or stripes covering the body or tail of these predators. Most likely, cave lions were colored like modern lionesses or pumas - in sandy-violet tones.

The distribution of cave lions in the late Pleistocene was enormous - from the British Isles and the Caucasus to the New Siberian Islands, Chukotka and Primorye. And in America - from Alaska to Mexico.

These animals were called cave animals, perhaps in vain. Where there was food and caves, they willingly used the latter for resting and raising their young, but on the plains steppe zone and in the high-latitude Arctic they were content with small canopies and thickets of bushes. Judging by the fact that the bones of these northern lions are found in geological layers along with the bones of mammoths, horses, donkeys, deer, camels, saigas, primitive tours and bison, yaks and musk oxen, there is no doubt that lions attacked these animals and ate their meat. By analogy with modern examples from the savannas of Africa, one can think that the favorite food of our northern lions were horses and kulans, which they lay in wait at watering holes or caught among bushes and in the steppes. They overtook their prey with a short throw at a distance of a few hundred meters. It is possible that they also organized collective hunts in temporary friendly groups, dividing into beaters and ambushers, as modern lions in Africa do. There is practically no information about the reproduction of cave lions, but one can think that they had no more than two or three cubs.

In Transcaucasia, Northern China and Primorye, cave lions lived together with tigers and, obviously, competed with them.

In the book by J. Roni (senior) “The Fight for Fire” (1958) there is a description of the battle of young hunters with a tigress and a cave lion. These battles were probably rarely without casualties. The weapons of our ancestors in the Stone Age were not very reliable for battles with such a dangerous animal (Fig. 17). Lions could also fall into trapping pits, as well as into pressure traps such as kulema. The hunter who killed the cave lion was probably considered a hero and proudly wore its skin on his shoulder and drilled fangs on his neck. Pieces of marl with images of lion heads, found in the layers of the Paleolithic site of Kostenki I south of Voronezh, probably served as amulets. At the sites of Kostenki IV and XIII, skulls of cave lions were found, kept in huts reinforced with mammoth bones. The skulls were probably placed on the roofs of dwellings or hung on stakes or trees - they were intended to play the role of “guardian angel”.

The cave lion, apparently, did not live to see the historical era; it became extinct over large areas along with other characteristic members of the mammoth fauna - mammoth, horse, bison.

Lions could have stayed somewhat longer in Transbaikalia, Buryat-Mongolia, and Northern China, where an abundance of various ungulates was still preserved. Some stone sculptures of lion-like monsters made by the ancient Manchus and Chinese in Jilin and other cities of Xinjiang may have depicted the last cave lions that survived here until the European Middle Ages.

Cave lion(Panthera leo spelaea), is an extinct subspecies of lions that lived during the Pleistocene period in Europe and Siberia.

The Cave Lion was probably the most major representative cat family, larger than the Ussuri tiger.

For the first time, a German doctor involved in natural sciences described a cave lion from the skull. Georg August Goldfuss.

The lion appeared in Europe about 700 thousand years ago and probably came from Mosbach lion

Mosbach lions were larger than modern lions, the body length was up to 2.5 m (not including the tail), and they were about half a meter taller.

It is from the Mosbach lion that it is believed that the cave lion, which spread throughout Eurasia, originated about 300 thousand years ago.

There was also East Siberian cave a lion , in the north and northeast of Eurasia, probably through Berengia, it also entered America, going to the south of the American continent, where it formed american lion.

American lion

Extinction of the East Siberian and European species Lviv occurred approximately 10 thousand years ago, at the end of the last Valdai (Würm) glaciation.

There is evidence that a European subspecies of the cave lion was found for some time in the Balkans, but it is not clear whether it was a cave lion or another subspecies.

In 1985, near the German town of Siegsdorf, the skeleton of a male cave lion was found, which was just over 2 meters long and 1.2 m high, which approximately corresponded to the parameters of a modern lion.

Cave lions were approximately 5-10 percent taller than modern lions, although they were smaller than American or Mosbach lions.

There are unique Paleolithic rock paintings in the Vogelherdhöle caves of France, in Alsace, and in the south of France, in the Chauvet cave.

The lion was a totem for ancient man, like the cave bear

Lions lived in Europe and northern Asia not only during the interglacial era, but during the glaciations themselves; apparently they were not afraid of the cold, and there was enough food.

In 2004, scientists from Germany managed to find out, as a result of DNA research, that The cave lion is not a separate species, but a subspecies of lion.

During the Pleistocene, northern lions formed their own group, different from African lions and South-Eastern. This group included Mosbach lion, cave lion, East Siberian lion and American lion.

Nowadays, all lion species belong to the so-called “Leo” group, and all lion species began to diverge about 600 thousand years ago.

Some species of the extinct American lion were much larger than the Mosbach lion and were therefore the most large predators cat family that were present on our Earth.

Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) was distributed throughout southern Eurasia from Greece to India. There are now about 300 individuals preserved in the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat, India.

In the 1990s, to preserve the endangered population, India donated several pairs of Asiatic lions to European zoos.

The Asian or Indian subspecies of lion weighs from 150 to 220 kg, mostly 160-190 kg in males, and 90-150, usually 110-120 kg in females. His mane is not so thick and fits more closely to the body.

The Asiatic lion has a stockier body, which creates a misleading impression of its smaller size compared to the African lion. But the record length of the Asiatic lion is almost three meters.

In India, until about the middle of the last century, lions lived in Punjab, Gujarat and even West Bengal.

On the Kathiyawar Peninsula (in the southwest), in the Gir Forest, a small population of Asiatic lions still remains, but there are less than 150 of them left. These lions were taken under state protection in 1900.

And the last Indian lion was killed in 1884.

Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo), an extinct subspecies of lion originally found in North Africa. Some lions currently living in captivity probably descend from Barbary lions, but there are no longer purebred representatives of the subspecies among them.

It was the Barbary lions that were used by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 to describe and classify lions. The weight of males ranged from 160 to 250 kg, less often 270 kg, females - from 100 to 170 kg.

Barbary lion, along with the extinct cape lion (Panthera leo melanochaitus), was the largest living subspecies of lion. His most noticeable difference was his particularly thick dark mane, which extended far beyond his shoulders and hung down over his stomach.

In historical times, the Barbary lion was found throughout the African continent north of the Sahara.

The Barbary lion lived, in addition to the North African semi-deserts and savannas, also in the Atlas Mountains. He hunted deer, wild boar and hartebeest (a type of dog-headed monkey).

The ancient Romans often used the Barbary lion in "fun fights" against the Turanian tiger, also extinct, or to fight gladiators.

The proliferation of firearms and the deliberate policy of exterminating the Barbary lion has led to its population being severely reduced in North Africa and the Atlas Mountains. And at the beginning of the 18th century, the Barbary lion almost disappeared from North Africa, leaving only a small range in the northwest.

The last free-living Barbary lion was shot in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains in 1922.

Initially, scientists assumed that Barbary lions became extinct in captivity. However, Moroccan rulers received gifts of lions from the nomadic Berber tribes, even when these animals had already become quite rare.

At the end of the 19th century, a purebred Barbary lion named Sultan lived in the London Zoo.

Those lions that Moroccan King Hassan II donated to the Rabat Zoo in 1970 were probably direct descendants of Barbary lions, at least in phenotype and morphology, they clearly corresponded historical description Barbary lions.

The Addis Ababa Zoo is home to 11 lions that may be descendants of Barbary lions. Their ancestors were the property of Emperor Haile Selassie I.

At the end of the twentieth century, about 50 lions descended from Barbary lived in zoos, however, there is evidence that they are not purebred and have admixtures of other species.

Cape Lion (Panthera leo melanochaitus) is an extinct subspecies of lions. Cape lions lived on the southern coast of the African continent.

They were not the only subspecies of lions that lived in South Africa, and their exact distribution area has not yet been fully established.

The main habitat for lions was the Cape Province in the vicinity of Cape Town. The last Cape lion was killed in 1858.

Male Cape lions were characterized by a long mane that extended over the shoulders and covered the belly, as well as noticeable black tips of the ears.

The results of a DNA study of Cape lions revealed that this is not a separate subspecies, but most likely the Cape lion is only the southernmost population transvaal lion (Panthera leo krugeri).

Transvaal lion, also known as southeastern African lion , a subspecies of lion that lives in southern Africa, including National Park Kruger. The name comes from the Transvaal region of South Africa.

Like all lions (with the exception of lions from National Park Tsavo), male Transvaal lions have a mane. Males spend most of their time guarding their territory, and lionesses take on the responsibilities of hunting and providing food for the pride.

Males reach a length of up to three meters (usually 2.5 cm), including the tail. Lionesses are smaller - about 2.5 meters. The weight of a male is usually 150-250 kg, females - 110-180 kg. The height at the withers reaches 90-125 cm.

This type of lion is characterized by leucism, lack of melanin, which is associated with mutation. The animal's fur becomes light gray, sometimes even almost white, and the skin underneath is pink (due to the absence of melanocytes).

Lions were also found in ancient Greece

A.A. Kazdym

List of used literature

Sokolov V. E. Rare and endangered animals. Mammals. M.: 1986. P. 336

Alekseeva L.I., Alekseev M.N. Triofauna of the Upper Pleistocene of Eastern Europe(large mammals)

Zedlag U. Animal world Earth. M., Mir. 1975.

Zoological journal. Volume 40, Issues 1-6, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University. M. V. Lomonosov. Zoo museum

West M., Packer C. Sexual selection, temperature, and the lion’s mane. Washington DC. 2002

Barnett R., Yamaguchi N., I. Barnes, A. Cooper: Lost populations and preserving genetic diversity in the lion Panthera leo, Implications for its ex situ conservation. Kluwer, Dordrecht. 2006

Ronald M. Nowak Walker's Mammals of the World, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999

Barton M. Wildes Amerika Zeugen der Eiszeit. Egmont Verlag, 2003

Turner A. The big cats and their fossil relatives. Columbia University Press, 1997.

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