There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
We need to admite that using captive specimens do not necesarily reflect the real status of a wild species, specially in lions.
Captive lions, specially in the past, did not generated muscular bodies like the wild ones, altough some of them did reached large sizes. Hollister reported also that the skulls from captive lions are much larger than the wild ones, and more massive in the bone structure. Why? I don't know yet. So, that could be an explanation about why the captive Barbary lions reported in litterature had such a large skulls.