Lions In Africa
The Types Of Lions In Africa Vary…Or Do They?
Recent DNA studies have unearthed some pretty amazing facts regarding the lions in Africa, both past and present. Though the Barbary lion, categorically deemed as the largest subspecies of lion in the world, has not yet been cross tested for DNA comparison with the other common lions in Africa, the experts hope to reveal that he is a distinct subspecies.
Recently, scientists and zoology experts began testing the DNA of all of the known subspecies of lions in Africa, first against each other, and then against the DNA of the Asiatic Lion. The results stated clearly that all subspecies of lions in Africa carried the exact same genetic blueprint, and were in fact one species of lion. The testing also definitively distinguished the African Lion from the Asiatic Lion, as their DNA was conclusively unmatched.
This leaves room for a great deal of speculation as far as the seemingly vast contrast in characteristics between the lions in Africa. There are white lions, there are smaller lions, there are the standard tawny colored lions, and even legends of black lions in some regions of the African continent. The majestic and powerful Numidian Lion was so coveted and prized that the last male member of his subspecies was gunned down for trophy rights in the 1930’s. Was he really any different than the others, or was it merely that the northern tip of Africa was the most sought after region for the well-to-do who were venturing onto the forbidden continent in droves, and this lion just happened to be in the way?
I suppose we will never know now, but lion experts and enthusiasts are holding fast to the hope that the Barbary Lion will, indeed, prove himself a distinctive subspecies of the lion family. It is common practice to classify each group of lions by region, and using the title “subspecies” in order to discriminate between them seems to be an acceptable misuse of terminology. The science, however, has spoken clearly and without question: all African lions are one and the same.
Lions, be they African or Asiatic, are the worlds only true social wildcats, and live in prides which can hold as many as four generations of family at any given time. Cubs are born in litters of one to six, though a mother is lucky if she raises just one cub per litter to adulthood. Cubs perish easily in this harsh, sometimes cruel environment, where they are often vulnerable to predators, starvation, and even death at the whim of their own father, should he so choose. Life, and death, within the lion pride give full meaning to the phrase “survival of the fittest.”