Asiatic Lion

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The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion.

The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion, which in historical times ranged from Caucasus to Yemen and from Macedonia to India through Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest National Park of western India. About 350 lions (August 2005) live in a 1,412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat. In 1907 there were only 13 lions left in the Gir, when the Nawab of Junagadh gave complete protection to them.

Unlike the tiger, which prefers dense forests with adequate cover, the lion inhabits the scrub-type deciduous forests. Compared to its African counterpart, the Indian lion has a scantier mane. The lion seldom comes into contact with the tiger which also lives in India, but not in the Gir region as this forest is hotter and more arid than the habitat preferred by the tiger.

Contents

1 Fact-sheet
2 Asiatic Lions in Europe
3 North African relative
4 External links
5 References

Fact-sheet

Weight: Male 150-225 Kg; Female 120-160 Kg
Length (head and body): Male 170-250 cm; Female 140-175 cm
Length (tail): 70-105 cm
Shoulder height: Male 100-123 cm; Female 80-107 cm
Sexual Maturity: Male 5 years; Female 4 years
Mating season: All year round
Gestation period: 100-119 days
Number of young: 1 to 6
Birth interval: 18-26 months
Typical diet: Deer, antelope, wild boar, buffalo
Lifespan: 16-18 years

Asiatic Lions in Europe

Main article: Lions in Europe

The Asiatic lion used to live also in Europe. Aristotle and Herodotus wrote that lions were found in the Balkans in the middle of the first millennium B.C. When Xerxes advanced through Macedon in 480 B.C., several of his baggage camels were killed by lions. Lions are believed to have died out within the borders of present-day Greece in A.D. 80-100. And also there was a population in the Caucasus that become extinct in the 10th century. It remained widespread elsewhere until the mid- 1800s when the advent of firearms led to its extinction over large areas. (Guggisberg 1961) By the late 1800s the lion had disappeared from Turkey (Ustay 1990). They disappeared from Iran in 1942. ^{[#endnote_ALIC2001]}

North African relative

In 1968, a study on the skulls of the extinct Barbary (North African), extinct Cape, Asiatic, and African lions showed that the same skull characteristics - the very narrow postorbital bar - existed in only the Barbary and the Asiatic lion skulls. This shows that there may have been a close relationship between the lions from Northernmost Africa and Asia. It is also believed that the South European lion that became extinct at the beginning in A.D. 80-100, could have represented the connecting link between the North African and Asiatic lions. It is believed that Barbary lions possess the same belly fold (hidden under all that mane) that appears in the Asian lions today.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to:

References

Cat Specialist Group (2000). [Panthera leo ssp. persica]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this subspecies is critically endangered
↑ Asiatic Lion Information Centre. 2001 Past and present distribution of the lion in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Downloaded on 1st June 2006 from http://www.asiatic-lion.org/distrib.html.
Kaushik, H. 2005. Wire fences death traps for big cats. Times of India, Thursday, October 27, 2005. [link]

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