Panthera leo krugeri

(Roberts, 1929)

Vernacular names
English : South African lion
French : Lion d’Afrique du Sud

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Notes : 7 other subspecies known. A revision recognizes only two subspecies of lions and this one would now be P. l. melanochaita if accepted. So far, we choose to follow the older classification.

Identification
Body length of 250 cm, shoulder height of 123 cm, weight of 272 kg. Unmistakable. Males have a dark mane covering head, shoulders and belly. Females are smaller. This subspecies is often clearer, with a bigger and darker mane and some specimens can even be clear yellow to nearly white.

Range and habitat
This subspecies occurs from the Kalahari desert to northern and southeast South Africa. The species occurs throughout Africa and as an isolated population in India. Lives in dry open woodlands, grasslands, savannas and scrubland, up to 4000 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species is now mostly restricted to protected areas. Some subspecies are extinct or highly endangered (in Asia). Alien diseases are a threat too.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America, EEP in Europe

Observation

 

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