Asiatic Lion

The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo leo) is a lion population in Gujarat, India, which is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of its small population size. Since 2010, the lion population in and around Gir Forest National Park has steadily increased. In May 2015, the 14th Asiatic Lion Census was conducted over an area of about 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi); the lion population was estimated at 523 individuals, comprising 109 adult males, 201 adult females and 213 cubs. In August 2017, the Asiatic Lion Census revealed 650 wild individuals.

The Asiatic lion was first described by the Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer under the trinomen Felis leo persicus. Its historical range included eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, and from east of the Indus River to Bengal and Narmada River in Central India. The Asiatic lion is one of five pantherine cats inhabiting India, apart from Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard. It is also known as the Indian lion and Persian lion.

Taxonomic history

Following Meyer's first description of an Asiatic lion skin from Persia, other naturalists and zoologists also described lions from other parts of Asia that used to be considered synonyms of P. l. persica: In 1829, Edward Turner Bennett published a book about the animals kept in the Tower Menagerie. His essay about lions contains a drawing titled "Bengal lion Felis leo bengalensis". In 1833, Walter Smee exhibited two skins of lions killed in Gujarat in a meeting of the Zoological Society of London. He presented these skins of maneless lions under the name Felis leo goojratensis. In 1834, Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet proposed the name Leo asiaticus for the Asiatic lion. In 1843, Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville published a drawing of an Asiatic lion skull under the name Felis leo indicus. In 2017, the Asiatic lion was subsumed under P. l. leo due to the close morphological and genetic similarities with North African lion specimens.

Evolution

Fossil remains found in the Cromer Stage suggest that the late Pleistocene Eurasian cave lion was of a gigantic size and represented a lineage that was genetically isolated and highly distinct from lions in Africa and Asia. Fossil lion remains were found in Pleistocene deposits in West Bengal. A fossil carnassial found in the Batadomba Cave indicates that Panthera leo sinhaleyus inhabited Sri Lanka during the late Pleistocene, and is thought to have become extinct around 39,000 years ago. This subspecies was described by Deraniyagala in 1939. It is distinct from the extant Asiatic lion.

Characteristics

The Asiatic lion's fur ranges in colour from ruddy-tawny, heavily speckled with black, to sandy or buffish grey, sometimes with a silvery sheen in certain lights. Males have only moderate mane growth at the top of the head, so that their ears are always visible. The mane is scanty on the cheeks and throat where it is only 10 cm (3.9 in) long. About half of Asiatic lions' skulls from the Gir forest have divided infraorbital foramina, whereas in African lions, there is only one foramen on either side. The sagittal crest is more strongly developed, and the post-orbital area is shorter than in African lion. Skull length in adult males ranges from 330 to 340 mm (13 to 13 in), and in females from 292 to 302 mm (11.5 to 11.9 in). It differs from the African lion by a larger tail tuft and less inflated auditory bullae. The most striking morphological character of the Asiatic lion is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its belly. Adult males weigh 160 to 190 kg (350 to 420 lb), while females weigh 110 to 120 kg (240 to 260 lb). Shoulder height is about 1.10 m (43 in). Recorded flesh measurements of two lions in Gir Forest were head-and-body measurements of 1.98 m (78 in) each, with tail-lengths of 0.79–0.89 m (31–35 in) and total lengths of 2.82–2.87 m (111–113 in), respectively. The Gir lion is similar in size to the Central African lion, and smaller than large African lions. Compared to populations of African lions, the Asiatic lion has less genetic variation, which may result from a founder effect in the recent history of the remnant population in the Gir Forest.

Distribution and habitat

In the Gir Forest, an area of 1,412.1 km2 (545.2 sq mi) was declared as a sanctuary for Asiatic lion conservation in 1965. This sanctuary and the surrounding areas in Saurashtra, Western India, are the only wild habitats supporting the Asiatic lion. After 1965, a national park covering an area of 258.71 km2 (99.89 sq mi) was established where no human activity is allowed. In the surrounding sanctuary only Maldharis have the right to graze their livestock. The population recovered from the brink of extinction to 411 individuals in 2010. Lions occupy remnant forest habitats in the two hill systems of Gir and Girnar that comprise Gujarat's largest tracts of dry deciduous forest, thorny forest and savanna and provide valuable habitat for a diverse flora and fauna. Five protected areas currently exist to protect the Asiatic lion: Gir Sanctuary, Gir National Park, Pania Sanctuary, Mitiyala Sanctuary, and Girnar Sanctuary. The first three protected areas form the Gir Conservation Area, a 1,452 km2 (561 sq mi) forest block that represents the core habitat of the Asiatic lions. The other two sanctuaries, Mitiyala and Girnar, protect satellite areas within dispersal distance of the Gir Conservation Area. An additional sanctuary is being established in the nearby Barda Wildlife Sanctuary to serve as an alternative home for Gir lions. The drier eastern part is vegetated with acacia thorn savanna and receives about 650 mm (26 in) annual rainfall; rainfall in the west is higher at about 1,000 mm (39 in) per year. As of 2010, approximately 105 lions, comprising 35 males, 35 females, 19 subadults, and 16 cubs existed outside the Gir forest, representing a full quarter of the entire lion population. The increase in satellite lion populations may represent the saturation of the lion population in the Gir forest and subsequent dispersal by sub-adults compelled to search for new territories outside their natal pride. Over the past two decades, these satellite areas became established, self-sustaining populations as evidenced by the presence of cubs since 1995. As of May 2016, the lion population was estimated at 493 individuals, comprising 258 individuals in the Junagadh district, 39 in the Gir Somnath District, 164 in the Amreli District and 32 in the Bhavnagar District.