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.
This is the first time that somebody talk about this theory of two waves of lions from Middle east to India, as far I remember. Can you show your source please, regarding this particular point? Every new knowledge is apreciate.
Regarding the tiger in Sri Lanka, there is only one paper (Manamendra-Arachchi et al., 2005) about a few phalanx and dentition m1 tentatively labeled as "tigers" from Sri Lanka, but that is all. The document of Cooper et al. (2016) only used the same conclution of Manamendra-Arachchi regarding the Sri Lanka tigers in his Pleistocene scenario. Although in his study it seems that the Sri Lanka island was a "good" tiger habitat, it fails in predict the habitat from the Caspian tiger even it he present day scenario; on the other hand the analysis of Kitchener & Dugmore (1999), even been in an older document, is more complete and take in count much more variables been more reliable, as discard Sri Lanka as a good tiger habitat.
In conclution, I think that there is the posibility that lions do existed in Sri Lanka, but the existence of tigers seems to be not probable. A DNA study is necesary and will settle the debate once for all. After all, there is also the posibility that large leopards or leopard-like big cats from the first "wave" from Africa that you described, do colonized the island. This, of course, is just especulation but is a plausible scenario.
Sri-Lanka(n)/Ceylon Lion, Ceylon (Bengal) Tiger & Ceylon (Asiatic) Cheetah
