Asiatic Lion - Data, Pictures & Videos

[Rishi]

Exerpt taken from Selfish partners: resource partitioning in male coalitions of Asiatic lions, by Stotra Chakrabarti & Yadvendradev Jhala (Link to full paper);

Belly scores to determine the state of hunger/appetite of individual male lions following Bertram (1975a):
(a) Fully gorged with a bloated belly, belly fold taut and almost invisible, scored as 1.
(b) Well-fed individual with a distended belly and a hint of the belly fold seen underneath, scored as 2.
© Belly line almost parallel to the ground with a prominent belly fold, animal not too fed, neither too starved, scored as 3.
(d) Semistarved individual with a very prominent fold and hints of lateral pelvic depressions, scored as 4.
(e) Fully starved individual, with a very loose belly fold and prominent lateral depressions, scored as 5. 
Photographs were taken by first author.

*This image is copyright of its original author

The underfold literally give them an expandable belly.

Maybe these belly-folds are so prominent in Asiatic lions (also Caspian & Amur tigers) as an adaptation to range of the same subspecies spanning over both cold mountains & hot deserts in middle-east & central-asia.

Unlike African ones, Asiatic lions look extremely at home in snow with fur & fat, with the underfold often becoming indistinguishable!

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

But if the were wild lions in one of Iran's mountainous wildernesses, their sons might find themselves in the middle of an arid land in their search for a territory & vice-versa. Was the belly underfold meant to be a backup fat-pouch?

Someday we'll find out... Reply