The Barbary Lion Panthera leo leo is a subspecies of lion. It is extinct in the wild and was believed to be extinct in captivity until stray individuals were located in circus populations within the last three decades. It is the largest of the lion subspecies with males weighing between 500-600 lb (230 to 270 kg) and females 300-350 lb (140 to 160 kg). The Barbary Lion, also called the Atlas or Nubian lion, formerly ranged in the Atlas Mountains of north Africa and in territory from Morocco to Egypt. The last known Barbary Lion in the wild was shot in the Atlas Mountains in 1922. Jump to: navigation, search Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Jump to: navigation, search Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Jump to: navigation, search Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include... Jump to: navigation, search Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Placentalia Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes (extinct) Primates Proboscidea... Families Ailuridae Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Mustelidae Nandiniidae Odobenidae Otariidae Procyonidae Ursidae Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Jump to: navigation, search Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae Machairodontinae (extinct) Cats are members of the family Felidae. ... Species Panthera leo Panthera tigris Panthera pardus Panthera onca Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae (the cats), which contains four well-known species: the tiger, lion, leopard, and jaguar. ... Trinomial nomenclature is a taxonomic naming system that extends the standard system of binomial nomenclature by adding a third taxon. ... Jump to: navigation, search Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné â–¶(?), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ... The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in northwest Africa extending about 2400 km (1500 miles) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, and including The Rock of Gibraltar. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... Jump to: navigation, search 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Unlike most African lions, the Barbary Lion was a mountain predator, preferring woodlands. The two other primary Atlas Mountain predators, the Barbary leopard and Atlas bear, are also now extinct, with no known individuals in the wild. There are several dozen individuals in captivity believed to be Barbary Lions: Port Lympyne wild animal park has twelve specimens http://www.totallywild.net/animals.php?animal=Barbary/Atlas%20Lion descended from animals owned by the King of Morocco. In addition, 11 animals believed to be Barbary Lions were found in Addis Addaba zoo, descendants of animals owned by Emperor Hailie Selassie. Jump to: navigation, search Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. ... Jump to: navigation, search Limber Pine woodland, Toiyabe Range, central Nevada Biologically, a woodland is differentiated from a forest. ... Trinomial name Panthera pardus panthera (Schreber, 1777) The Barbary Leopard, Panthra pardus panthera, which inhabits the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, closely resembles the familiar East African leopard. ... Binomial name Ursus crowtheri Schinz, 1844 The Atlas Bear (Ursus crowtheri), was Africas only native bear. ... In biology and ecology, extinction is the ceasing of existence of a species or group of species. ...

Barbary Lions are most distinctly characterized by a thick black mane on the male that reaches along the stomach to the loins.

"Scar," the villain of Disney's The Lion King, was based on a Barbary Lion. A stereotypical villain. ... The Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) NYSE: DIS is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Lion King is the 32nd film in the Disney animated feature canon, and the highest-grossing traditionally animated feature film ever released in the United States. ...

The Barbary Lion Project

The former popularity of the Barbary Lion as a zoo animal provides the only hope to ever see it again in the wild in North Africa. After years of research into the science of the Barbary Lion and stories of surviving examples, WildLink International, in collaboration with Oxford University, launched their ambitious International Barbary Lion Project. They are using the very latest DNA techniques to identify the DNA 'fingerprint' of the Barbary Lion subspecies. WildLink International has taken bone samples from remains of Barbary Lions in Museums across Europe, like those in Brussels, Paris, Turin and others. These samples are returned to Oxford University where the science team is extracting the DNA sequence that identifies the Barbary as a separate subspecies. Although the Barbary is officially extinct, WildLink International had identified a handful of lions in captivity around the world that are descended from the original Barbary Lion, like the royal lions in Temara Zoo in Rabat, Morocco. These descendants will be tested against the DNA fingerprint and the degree of any hybridisation (from crossbreeding) can then be determined. The best candidates will then enter a selective breeding programme that will 'breed back' the Barbary Lion. The final phase of the project will see the lions released into a National Park in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. WildLink International can not be reached anymore and their website is nowadays offline. Everyone is in the dark as to what happened to WildLink International. WildLink International and the University of Oxford had made the deal that WildLink International would raise money for the project and that the university would do the research. With the disappearance of WildLink International no money was raised. North Africa is a region generally considered to include: Algeria Egypt Libya Mauritania Morocco Sudan Tunisia Western Sahara The Azores, Canary Islands, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Madeira are sometimes considered to be a part of North Africa. ... In zoology, as in other branches of biology, subspecies is the rank immediately subordinate to a species. ...

Asian Relative

In 1968, a study on the skulls of the Barbary, extinct Cape, Asiatic, and other African lions showed that the same skull characteristics - the very narrow postorbital bar - extisted in only the Barbary and the Asiatic lion skulls. This shows that there may have been a close relationship between the lions from Northernmost Africa and Asia. It is also believed that the South European lion that became extinct at the beginning in A.D. 80-100, could have represented the connecting link between the North African and Asiatic lions. It is believed that Barbary lions possess the same belly fold (hidden under all that mane) that appears in the Asian lions today. Jump to: navigation, search 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Trinomial name Panthera leo melanochaitus The Cape Lion Panthera leo melanochaitus is an extinct subspecies of lion. ... Trinomial name Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826 The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a subspecies of lion. ... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... Jump to: navigation, search World map showing Asia (geographically) Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia and worlds largest continent. ... This article is about the continent. ...

Also see Cape Lion. Trinomial name Panthera leo melanochaitus The Cape Lion Panthera leo melanochaitus is an extinct subspecies of lion. ...

External links

• Preservation Station - Barbary Lions, the Barbary Lion preservation site.
• Zion WildLife Gardens - NZ, dedicated to the preservation of the Big Cats.
• The Extinction Website
• The Extinction Website - Extinction Forum