Panthera leo leo

Female lions are smaller. They are famous for their magnificent manes that stretch from the shoulder blades to the middle of the back, with tufts of mane at the elbows and thick manes that fringe from the abdomen to the inner thighs. They are more robust than their Saharan cousins, with a pair of clear gray eyes set in their broad faces. They are the color of bleached sand, slightly lighter than the amber color that is unique to southern lions. The eyeballs are transparent, unlike the brownish amber color of sub-Saharan lions.
The fur is gray, long and shaggy. The mane of male lions covers the head and neck, spreading to the back and abdomen. The color of the mane varies depending on where it grows, starting from the head and neck and getting darker as it grows backwards. Female lions and cubs also have long hair on their necks, the backs of their front legs, and their abdomens.
They are the model of lions, with huge bodies and thick manes, which fully meet the human male aesthet

Barbary lions live in the countries surrounding the Atlas Mountains, including the Barbary Coast, Morocco, Algeria, and the Maghreb. The Atlas Mountains are colder than other parts of Africa, especially in winter. Barbary lion prides live in these areas and never leave, especially in the eastern Maghreb.

Barbary lion (scientific name: Panthera leo leo), also known as North African lion and Atlas lion, is the second largest subspecies of lion and also the nominative subspecies of lion. Compared with other African lions, they are most closely related to Asian lions.

Barbary lions were once found throughout Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia, and humans were their only enemy. They were Roman fighting beasts, enemies of herders, pets of the Sultan, and the ultimate goal of hunting in Africa. This subspecies of lion is a nominative subspecies, that is, the first subspecies to be recognized and named in the Western world. In other words, the morphological characteristics are closer to tigers than other subspecies. Its living habits are similar to those of tigers, and it tends to live alone. It is not as fond of group activities as other subspecies of lions. It is estimated that it is also the only lion that lives alone.

After entering the 20th century, the purebred Barbary lion became extinct. These tragedies can be traced back to the ancient Roman era long ago. In 46 BC, at the peak of Julius Caesar's rule, he personally funded the construction of a square that reflected the power of the Roman Empire. When it was completed, a large-scale sacrifice was held to match it. Due to the bloodthirsty tradition of the Roman Colosseum at that time, Caesar ordered a large number of wild male lions to be driven into the arena, provoking them to fight with well-trained gladiators. After being driven from the dark dungeon to the dazzling sunlight, these lions began to bite and kill people crazily. Hundreds of gladiators armed with spears, swords and animal nets rushed hard, and cheers came from the audience. There is no record of the number of casualties among the gladiators, and by the end of the show, more than 400 lions had fallen dead.

The lions that died at the hands of Caesar and those who followed him were almost invariably captured from their homeland in North Africa, in modern-day Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Known as Barbary or Atlas lions, these beasts were hunted by the ancient Egyptians, devoured early Christians and inspired Europeans to design emblems. Their monumental statues guard London’s Trafalgar Square, and they are famous for their magnificent manes that run from shoulder blades to mid-back, with tufts of hair at the elbows and thick fringe-like manes that run from the abdomen to the inner thighs. More robust than their Saharan cousins, they have broad faces framed by clear grey eyes, the colour of bleached sand, slightly lighter than the amber of southern lions.

By the early 20th century, all but one Barbary lion population survived in the cold Atlas mountains of Morocco. Even there, they had only a brief respite. By the 1920s, even this small refuge was no safe haven, and the last recorded wild Barbary lion was shot by a farmer in 1922. Aside from a few furs and bones scattered in European museums, the Barbary lion seemed lost forever.

By the 20th century, there were less than 600 Barbary lions left, but humans were still hunting them mercilessly. The last stronghold of the Barbary lion was the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. By 1914, there were less than 150 Barbary lions. In 1922, the last Barbary lion was shot down by a human hunting rifle. This was the last time humans saw a Barbary lion in the wild. In 1925, the Barbary lion (pure breed) was considered extinct. However, about 70 years later, experts found that there were still many mixed-blood lions of Barbary lion descent in some zoos or circuses. The common characteristics of these mixed-blood Barbary lions are: very black and long sideburns, large heads and bodies, and short and thick limbs.

Currently, pure-blooded Barbary lions have become extinct.

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