SB: Lions have been recently classified into two sub-species: Panthera leo leo or ‘northern lion’ of west Africa, north Africa, West Asia and India and Panthera leo melanochaita the ‘southern lion’, that inhabits eastern and southern Africa. The last strongholds for lions are those of the southern species, mostly in the savannahs of eastern and southern Africa. SB: Little is known about the genetics of the Barbary lion since few verified samples of the animal exist or have been scientifically analysed. Other indicators of Barbary lions include yellow eye colour and a somewhat less easy to assess mane size. The royal lions are also kept separate from captive Asiatic lions (also northern lions, but from the dry forests of India, of course).

Source: The North Africa Journal August 21, 2020 10:07 UTC