The size of the Barbary lion

[GuateGojira]

That is a good point @GrizzlyClaws. Some people believe that the European lion (real modern lions, Panthera leo) were the key between the Barbary and the Indian lions. This idea was first proposed by Mazák (1970; attached file).

However, there is no evidence of the real size of those lions. Some old Greek descriptions present them as large and savage, but these are more allegoric descriptions than real observations. The few descriptions and comparative images of lions in the middle east show lions of relative smaller sizes, closer to those of India in modern times. Taking in count that the west African lions and the Indian lions are of the same size/weight and that those of Persia seems equal, it is safe to suggest that the Barbary and the Greek lions were also of the same size, with some exceptional specimens reaching about 250 kg, like all the other African lions, showing again that these lions were not exceptional at all. Reply

Attached Files

  Mazák-1070_The Barbary lion.pdf (Size: 1.49 MB / Downloads: 25)