Barbary Lion by Ghirin

Barbary Lion by Ghirin

The Barbary lion (also known as the Atlas Lion) was among the largest of all lions. Its scientific name, Panthera leo leo, means that this lion was used as the original type that all other lions were judged by. One of its best known features, the huge shaggy mane of the male, was dark and could extend halfway down the back and formed a characteristic fringe of belly fur. The lion was also described as having a “dusky ochery” color.

Barbary lions once roamed all of the coniferous forests of North Africa. They were heavily hunted by the ancient Romans for the arena. Continued hunting, combined with habitat loss led to the extinction of the Barbary lion in the wild in 1922.

Some believe that Barbary lion genes might still exist in captive lion populations and the Barbary lion might be reconstructed through selective breeding.

References:

http://www.barbarylion.com/

The Doomsday Book of Animals by David Day, 1981

Created by Ghirin 2003

Updated 2010-10-30

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