The fauna of our planet was diverse at all times. But, unfortunately, the populations of some representatives of the fauna are declining. Previously, the main factor in the decline was climate change and habitat conditions. But recently, the cause of the extinction of many species has become man. Unfortunately, with his "help" some rare animals disappeared forever. These include the Barbarian lion, which will be described 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. Previously, it was the largest subspecies among its cat brethren.
Karl Linnaeus in 1758, it was he who was used for the classification, external description and behavior of lions.
The number of predators sharply decreased in the middle of the 17th century. Already at the beginning of the 18th century. he practically disappeared from the Sahara (Africa). Only a few individuals continued to live in a small area of the northwestern regions of the desert.
The firearms that became very popular at that time put an end to the population. Many hunters traveled 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 dead in 1922 in Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains. From this moment it is considered extinct.
There is a picture showing the last Barbarian lion. The photo was taken in Algeria in 1893.
Now it is recognized as completely extinct, and only in zoos you can find individuals descending from the Barbarian lion, but they can not be called purebred.
Population recovery
Some scholars talk about the revival of the subspecies, but in reality it will be extremely difficult to implement. There were suggestions 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 in our time there are no purebred individuals. This is a big obstacle in the restoration of the population.
External description
It was a very large predator, standing out among representatives of its species. A distinctive feature of the Barbarian lion was a thick mane of dark color, which went far on his back, and hanging down on his stomach.
According to recent research by scientists, such an appearance was most likely an adaptation to cold living conditions. Although it was previously believed that such a phenotype was simply a feature of the subspecies.
The males of this predator weighed 160-250 kg, some reached 270 kg and a length of 3 m. The females were much smaller - up to 2 m and from 100 to 170 kg.
Lifestyle
Poor food has changed the lifestyle of the Barbarian lion. Its representatives did not create flocks or even couples, as other relatives did. The predator preferred to live alone. The Barbarian lion was also found in the forests of the Atlas Mountains.
It was a very strong animal, which during the hunt initially pursued its prey. Before a direct attack, he imperceptibly crept up to his victim. At a distance of 30 meters went on the attack. He did it with a quick jump. Large animals such as wild boars, deer, buffaloes, the local subspecies of Bubals and zebras usually acted as prey. A barbaric lion could kill a small animal with one paw, but a technique such as strangulation was more often used.
The main threat to the predator itself was only humans.
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 that time.
In 1970, the monarch Hassan II from Morocco gave the rabbit zoo a lion, which, according to the description, looked more like a Barbarian. However, this was not a purebred specimen. By 1998, there were already 52 of his descendants from females of different subspecies of the lion.
Nowadays, in the Addis Ababa Zoo there are 11 individuals of the predator who are descendants of those animals that were in the personal property of Emperor Haile Selassie I. But they are already less and less resembling their ancient large ancestor.
It is known that in the second half of the 19th century a purebred Barbarian lion named Sultan lived in the London Zoo.
There is an assumption that in modern circuses you can meet a predator with the genes of the majestic progenitor.
Many countries have lion sculptures. Built at different times, they always personified such qualities as majesty, strength and power. Perhaps, when designing some instances, a Barbarian lion was used as an image. The monument to this graceful predator can be seen in Morocco, in the city of Ifrane. The stone lion is a symbol of this city.