The animal world of our planet has been diverse at all times. But, unfortunately, the populations of some representatives of the fauna are declining. Previously, the main factor in the decline in numbers was climate change and habitat conditions. But in recent times, man has become the cause of the extinction of many species. Unfortunately, with his "help" some rare animals have disappeared forever. These include the Barbary lion, which will be discussed in this article.
Extinct species
The predator lived in Africa, in the northern regions of the Sahara desert, and in the territory from Egypt to Morocco. Also, the Barbarian lion had other names - Atlas and Nubian. It used to be the largest subspecies among its feline counterparts.
Carl Linnaeus in 1758, it was he who was used for the classification, external description and behavior of lions.
The number of predators dropped sharply in the middle of the 17th century. Already at the beginning of the 18th century. it has practically disappeared from the Sahara (Africa). Only individual individualscontinued to live in a small area of the northwestern regions of the desert.
Firearms, which became very popular at that time, put an end to the population. Many hunters went to these areas for a valuable trophy. There was a deliberate policy of destroying an endangered predator.
In the wild, the last representative of this subspecies was shot in 1922 in Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains. Since then, it is considered extinct.
There is a picture showing the last Barbary lion. The photo was taken in Algiers in 1893.
Now it is recognized as completely extinct, and only in zoos you can find individuals descended from the Barbary lion, but they cannot be called purebred.
Population recovery
Some scientists talk about the revival of the subspecies, but it will be extremely difficult to implement in practice. There were speculations that individual specimens could remain in the reserves of the royal family of Morocco.
However, a team of scientists led by Dr. Barnett conducted research, and it was proved that there are no purebreds in our time. This is a big obstacle to the restoration of the population.
External Description
It was a very large carnivore that stood out among its kind. A distinctive feature of the Barbarian lion was a thick dark-colored mane that extended far over the back and hung down on the belly.
According to the latest research by scientists, this appearance,most likely, it was an adaptation to cold living conditions. Although it was previously believed that such a phenotype was simply a feature of the subspecies.
Male individuals of this predator weighed 160-250 kg, some reached 270 kg and up to 3 m in length. Females were much smaller - up to 2 m and from 100 to 170 kg.
Lifestyle
Meager food has changed the lifestyle of the Barbarian lion. Its representatives did not create packs or even pairs, as their other relatives did. The predator preferred to live in complete solitude. The Barbary lion was also found in the forests of the Atlas Mountains.
It was a very strong animal that initially pursued its prey during the hunt. Before a direct attack, he imperceptibly sneaked up to his victim. At a distance of 30 meters, he went on the attack. He did it with a quick jump. Large animals such as wild boars, deer, buffaloes, the local subspecies of hartebeest and zebras usually acted as prey. The Barbary lion could kill a small animal with one paw, but such a technique as strangulation was more often used.
The main threat to the predator itself was only man.
Interesting facts
It is known that in ancient Rome this subspecies was used to participate in battles with gladiators. Also, the Barbarian lion was released into the arena against the Turanian tiger, which is also an extinct animal in our time. Their battle was a kind of entertainment event of the time.
In 1970, the monarch Hassan II of Morocco presented a lion to the Rabat Zoo, which, according to the descriptionwas more similar to the Barbary. However, it was not a purebred specimen. By 1998, there were already 52 of his descendants from females of various subspecies of the lion.
Today, there are 11 predators in the Addis Ababa zoo, which are descendants of those animals that were in the personal property of Emperor Haile Selassie I. But they are less and less reminiscent of their ancient large ancestor.
It is known that a purebred Barbary lion named Sultan lived in the London Zoo in the second half of the 19th century.
There is an assumption that in modern circuses you can meet a predator with the genes of a majestic progenitor.
In many countries there are sculptures of a lion. Built at different times, they have always personified such qualities as majesty, strength and power. Perhaps, when designing some copies, a Barbary lion was used as an image. A monument to this graceful predator can be seen in Morocco, in the city of Ifrane. The stone lion is the symbol of this city.
