Asiatic Lion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 Female at the Bristol Zoo.
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| Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 |
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The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion.
The last remnants of the Asiatic Lion, which in historical times ranged from Caucasus to Yemen and from Macedon to present-day India through Ancient Pakistan and Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest National Park of western India. About 350 lions (August 2005) live in a 1,412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat. In 1907 there were only 13 lions left in the Gir, when the Nawab of Junagadh gave complete protection to them.
This Asiatic Lion subspecies (Panthera leo persica) is also known as the Indian Lion in India and even though it became recently extinct in Iran and elsewhere in middle east it is still called the Persian Lion in Iran.
Unlike the tiger, which prefers dense forests with adequate cover, the lion inhabits the scrub-type deciduous forests. Compared to its African counterpart, the Indian lion has a scantier mane. The lion occasionally comes into contact with the tiger which also lives in India, but not in the Gir region as this forest is hotter and more arid than the habitat preferred by the tiger.
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[edit] Fact-sheet
- Weight: Male 150-225 Kg; Female 120-160 Kg
- Length (head and body): Male 170-250 cm; Female 140-175 cm
- Length (tail): 70-105 cm
- Shoulder height: Male 100-123 cm; Female 80-107 cm
- Sexual Maturity: Male 5 years; Female 4 years
- Mating season: All year round
- Gestation period: 100-119 days
- Number of young: 1 to 6
- Birth interval: 18-26 months
- Typical diet: Deer, antelope, wild boar, buffalo
- Lifespan: 16-18 years
[edit] Other Names/ Vernacular names
- Indian Lion (English);
- Iranian / Persian Lion (English);
- Singh, babbar sher, untia bagh [camel tiger] (Hindi);
- sinh, sawaj (Gujarati);
- hawaj (Maldhari);
- babbar sher (Urdu);
- sheer (Farsi or Persian);
- lion d’Asie (French);
- Asiatischer Löwe (German);
- león de Asia (Spanish);
- leão asiático (Portuguese)
[edit] Asiatic Lions in Europe
Lions used to live in historic times also in Europe. Aristotle and Herodotus wrote that lions were found in the Balkans in the middle of the first millennium B.C. When Xerxes advanced through Macedon in 480 B.C., several of his baggage camels were killed by lions. Lions are believed to have died out within the borders of present-day Greece in A.D. 80-100. The european population is generally considered part of the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) group, but others consider it a separate subspecies, the European lion (Panthera leo europaea).
There was also a population of the Asiatic Lion in the Caucasus mountains, which was the northernmost point of the lion range until they become extinct in the area. These lions become extinct from Armenia around the year 300 and from Azerbaijan and southweast Russia during the 10th century. In this area the lion coexisted with other Big Cats like the Caspian tiger (which survived in Caucasus until the 1920s), the Caucasian leopard and the Asiatic Cheetah, and they prey in Caucasus included the Caucasian Wisent, Caucasian Elk, aurochs, tarpan and others ungulates. It remained widespread elsewhere until the mid-1800s when the advent of firearms led to its extinction over large areas. (Guggisberg 1961) By the late 1800s the lion had disappeared from Turkey (Ustay 1990).
[edit] North African relative
In 1968, a study on the skulls of the extinct Barbary (North African), extinct Cape, Asiatic, and African lions showed that the same skull characteristics - the very narrow postorbital bar - existed in only the Barbary and the Asiatic lion skulls. This shows that there may have been a close relationship between the lions from Northernmost Africa and Asia. It is also believed that the South European lion that became extinct at the beginning in A.D. 80-100, could have represented the connecting link between the North African and Asiatic lions. It is believed that Barbary lions possessed the same belly fold (hidden under their manes) that appears in the Asian lions today.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Everything about Asiatic Lion & Gir. Website by Asiatic Lion & Gir Protection Society GALPS
- Blog on Latest News articles on Asiatic Lion and Gir by GALPS
- The Extinction Website
- The Extinction Website - Extinction Forum
- Preservation Station - Barbary Lions
- Asiatic Lion Information Centre
- “IRAN-ZOO” Page on: Persian (Asiatic) Lion, (Panthera Leo Persica), Shir (in Persian)
- “IRAN-ZOO” is an independently maintained website
[edit] References
- Cat Specialist Group (2000). Panthera leo ssp. persica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this subspecies is critically endangered
- ↑ Asiatic Lion Information Centre. 2001 Past and present distribution of the lion in North Africa and Southwest Asia. Downloaded on 1 June 2006 from http://www.asiatic-lion.org/distrib.html.
- S.M.Nair (English edition); Translated by O.Henry Francis (1999). Endangered Animals of India and their conservation (In Tamil). National Book Trust.
- Guggisberg, C.A.W. (1961). Simba: The Life of the Lion. Howard Timmins, Cape Town.
- Kaushik, H. 2005. Wire fences death traps for big cats. Times of India, Thursday, October 27, 2005. [2]
- Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) (1996). Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
- Ustay, A.H. (1990). Hunting in Turkey. BBA, Istanbul.
- IUCN - The World Conservation Union: http://lynx.uio.no/lynx/catsgportal/cat-website/catfolk/asaleo01.htm
- Indiasite: http://www.indiasite.com/wildlife/mammals/asiaticlion.html
