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Barbary Lion

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                  iBarbary Lion

                             Conservation status

   Extinct in the wild (EW)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Mammalia
   Order:      Carnivora
   Family:     Felidae
   Genus:      Panthera
   Species:    P. leo
   Subspecies: P. l. leo

                               Trinomial name

   Panthera leo leo
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

                                  Synonyms

   Felis leo Linnaeus, 1758
    Panthera leo berberisca

   The Barbary Lion, Atlas lion or Nubian lion Panthera leo leo is a
   subspecies of lion that has become extinct in the wild. It was believed
   to be extinct in captivity. However, possible Barbary lion individuals
   or descendents have been located in zoos and circus populations within
   the last three decades. It is often considered to be the largest of the
   lion subspecies with males weighing between 400-650 lbs (181 to 295 kg)
   and females 270-400 lbs (120 to 181 kg), approximately the size of
   Bengal tigers. However, more recent research suggests that it is only
   slightly larger than modern African lion, which weighs approximately
   420 lbs on average. The Barbary Lion, also called the Atlas lion or
   Nubian lion, formerly ranged in North Africa (from Morocco to Tunisia)
   and continuing until Egypt. The last known Barbary Lion in the wild was
   shot in the Atlas Mountains in 1922.

   Unlike most African lions, the Barbary Lion was a mountain predator,
   preferring woodlands. The two other primary Atlas Mountain predators,
   the Atlas bear and Barbary leopard are now extinct or close to be,
   respectively.

   The mane of " Scar," the villain of Disney's The Lion King, was based
   on a Barbary Lion.

Possible surviving individuals

   There are several dozen individuals in captivity believed to be Barbary
   lions: Port Lympne Wild Animal Park has twelve specimens descended from
   animals owned by the King of Morocco. In addition, eleven animals
   believed to be Barbary lions were found in Addis Ababa zoo, descendants
   of animals owned by Emperor Haile Selassie.

   In the past scientists believed that the distinct sub-species status of
   the Barbary lion was established by its seemingly fixed external
   morphology, particularly its heavier mane. However, it is now known
   that various extrinsic factors influence the colour and size of all
   lions' manes, such as ambient temperature.^ As the cooler ambient
   temperature in European and North American zoos has been found to
   produce Barbary-like manes on ordinary lions, this characteristic is
   now considered an inappropriate marker for identifying Barbary
   ancestry.^ ^

   Despite this, Mitochondrial DNA research published in 2006 does support
   the distinctness of the Barbary lions as a sub-species. The results
   found a unique mtDNA haplotype to be present in some of those zoo
   specimens believed to be of Barbary descent. This may be a good
   molecular marker for identifying -- and excluding -- other potential
   Barbary lions. The mtDNA results revealed that five tested samples of
   lions from the famous collection of the King of Morocco are not,
   according to this criterion, maternally Barbary.^

The Barbary Lion Project

   The former popularity of the Barbary Lion as a zoo animal provides the
   only hope to ever see it again in the wild in North Africa. After years
   of research into the science of the Barbary Lion and stories of
   surviving examples, WildLink International, in collaboration with
   Oxford University, launched their ambitious International Barbary Lion
   Project. They are using the very latest DNA techniques to identify the
   DNA 'fingerprint' of the Barbary Lion subspecies. WildLink
   International has taken bone samples from remains of Barbary Lions in
   Museums across Europe, like those in Brussels, Paris, Turin and others.
   These samples are returned to Oxford University where the science team
   is extracting the DNA sequence that identifies the Barbary as a
   separate subspecies. Although the Barbary is officially extinct,
   WildLink International had identified a handful of lions in captivity
   around the world that are descended from the original Barbary Lion,
   like the royal lions in Temara Zoo in Rabat, Morocco. These descendants
   will be tested against the DNA fingerprint and the degree of any
   hybridisation (from crossbreeding) can then be determined. The best
   candidates will then enter a selective breeding programme that will
   'breed back' the Barbary Lion. The final phase of the project will see
   the lions released into a National Park in the Atlas Mountains of
   Morocco. WildLink International can not be reached anymore and their
   website is nowadays offline. Everyone is in the dark as to what
   happened to WildLink International. WildLink International and the
   University of Oxford had made the deal that WildLink International
   would raise money for the project and that the university would do the
   research. With the disappearance of WildLink International no money was
   raised. Dr. Noboyuki Yamaguchi, a scientist from the University of
   Oxford, has used his own funding for as long as possible to further the
   scientific research on Barbary Lions and its genetics. The project is
   now indefinitely on hold until the funds can be raised.^

Asian Relative

   In 1968, a study on the skulls of the Barbary, extinct Cape, Asiatic,
   and other 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 possess the same belly fold (hidden under all that mane)
   that appears in the Asian lions today.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_Lion"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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