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.
found this interesting piece on twitter, could this be a possibility?
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You defintely cannot say that the lack of mane is or is not due to something, because of this single article.
It only used 7 lions, captive for that matter, and 16 tigers, captive as well.
That being said, I think it is pretty well known that the mane is affected more so by the climate than anything else. Tsavo lions have no less testosterone than Serengeti Lions. Also what are the results? Where can we see them? I am curious to see what the levels are then compare them with wild levels.
The current Asiatic population where the study samples were derived is small enough, add to that the samples are products of captivity, thus one would assume inbreeding should be a likely issue. Even then, the study found no serious worry in terms of genetic diversity, and thus I take it as pretty strong evidence. Also, the excerpt is from "Gir Forest and the Saga of the Asiatic Lion" by Sudipta Mitra, I should've cited it earlier.
In humans, extreme amounts of testosterone leads to hair loss, and this may or may not extend to lions. Tsavo lions are said to have higher levels of testosterone, and interestingly enough, they're maneless.
There is no study that shows Tsavo lions having more testosterone than others, That I know of. That is my point, even if they did, that would specifically disprove this theory that testosterone is the main contributor to mane lentgth or color.
Until we see these results, this study is also meaningless as well.
Just saying..