The Asiatic lion, also known as the Persian lion,[2][3] is a population of Panthera leo leo that today

survives in the wild only in India.[4] Since the turn of the 20th century, its range has been restricted
to Gir National Park and the surrounding areas in the Indian state of Gujarat. Historically, it inhabited
much of southwest Asia to northern India.[5]

The first scientific description of the Asiatic lion was published in 1826 by the Austrian zoologist
Johann N. Meyer, who named it Felis leo persicus.[6] On the IUCN Red List, it is listed under its
former scientific name Panthera leo persica as Endangered because of its small population size
and area of occupancy.[1]Until the 19th century, it occurred in Saudi Arabia,[7]
[8]
eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesopotamia, Pakistan, and from east of the Indus River to Bengal and
the Narmada River in Central India.[9]

The population has steadily increased since 2010.[10] 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.[11][12][13] In August 2017,
surveyors counted 650 wild lions.[14] In June 2020, an estimation exercise counted 674 Asiatic lions in
the Gir forest region, an increase of 29% over the 2015 census figure.[15]

The lion is one of five pantherine cats native to India, along with the Bengal tiger (P. tigris
tigris), Indian leopard (P. pardus fusca), snow leopard (P. uncia) and clouded leopard (Neofelis
nebulosa).[16][17]

Taxonomy[edit]
Felis leo persicus was the scientific name proposed by Johann N. Meyer in 1826 who described an
Asiatic lion skin from Persia.[6] In the 19th century, several zoologists described lion zoological
specimen from other parts of Asia that used to be considered synonyms of P. l. persica:[9]

 Felis leo bengalensis proposed by Edward Turner Bennett in 1829 was a lion kept in
the menagerie of the Tower of London. Bennett's essay contains a drawing titled 'Bengal
lion'.[18]
 Felis leo goojratensis proposed by Walter Smee in 1833 was based on two skins of
maneless lions from Gujarat that Smee exhibited in a meeting of the Zoological Society of
London.[19]
 Leo asiaticus proposed by Sir William Jardine, 7th Baronet in 1834 was a lion from India.[20]
 Felis leo indicus proposed by Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville in 1843 was based on an
Asiatic lion skull.[21]
In 2017, the Asiatic lion was subsumed to P. l. leo due to close morphological and molecular
genetic similarities with Barbary lion specimens.[4][22] However, several scientists continue using P. l.
persica for the Asiatic lion.[12][23][24][25][26][27]

Evolution[edit]
Main article: Lion § Evolution and phylogeny
Fossil remains of Panthera spelaea excavated in the Cromer Stage indicate that it represented a
genetically isolated and highly distinct lineage, not closely related to Asiatic lions. [28] Fossil lion remains
were found in Pleistocene deposits in West Bengal.[29] A fossil carnassial excavated in
the Batadomba Cave indicates that the Sri Lanka lion (P. l. sinhaleyus) inhabited Sri Lanka during
the late Pleistocene, and is thought to have become extinct around 39,000 years
ago. Deraniyagala described this lion in 1939.[30]

Phylogeography[edit]
Results of a phylogeographic analysis based on mtDNA sequences of lions from across the global
range, including now extinct populations like Barbary lions, indicates that sub-Saharan African lions
are phylogenetically basal to all modern lions. These findings support an African origin of modern lion
evolution with a probable centre in East and Southern Africa. It is likely that lions migrated from there
to West Africa, eastern North Africa and via the periphery of the Arabian Peninsula into
Turkey, southern Europe and northern India during the last 20,000 years. The Sahara, Congolian
rainforests and the Great Rift Valley are natural barriers to lion dispersal.[31]

Genetic markers of 357 samples from captive and wild lions from Africa and India were examined.
Results indicate four lineages of lion populations: one in Central and North Africa to Asia, one
in Kenya, one in Southern Africa, and one in Southern and East Africa; the first wave of lion expansion
probably occurred about 118,000 years ago from East Africa into West Asia, and the second wave in
the late Pleistocene or early Holocene periods from Southern Africa towards East Africa.[32] The Asiatic
lion is genetically closer to North and West African lions than to the group comprising East and
Southern African lions. The two groups probably diverged about 186,000–128,000 years ago. It is
thought that the Asiatic lion remained connected to North and Central African lions until gene
flow was interrupted due to extinction of lions in Western Eurasia and the Middle East during the
Holocene.[33][34]

Asiatic lions are less genetically diverse than African lions, which may be the result of a founder
effect in the recent history of the remnant population in the Gir Forest.[35]

Characteristics[edit]

Asiatic lion cub

An Asiatic lioness
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 lighting. 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 (4 in) long. About half of Asiatic lions' skulls from the Gir forest have
divided infraorbital foramina, whereas African lions have only one foramen on either side. The sagittal
crest is more strongly developed, and the post-orbital area is shorter than in African lions. Skull length
in adult males ranges from 330–340 mm (13–13+1⁄2 in), and in females, from 292–302 mm (11+1⁄2–
11+7⁄8 in). It differs from the African lion by a larger tail tuft and less inflated auditory bullae.[9] The
most striking morphological character of the Asiatic lion is a longitudinal fold of skin running along its
belly.[36]
Males have a shoulder height of up to 107–120 cm (42–47 in), and females of 80–107 cm (31+1⁄2–
42 in).[37] Two lions in Gir Forest measured 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) from head to body with a 0.79–0.89 m (31–
35 in) long tail of and total lengths of 2.82–2.87 m (9 ft 3 in – 9 ft 5 in). The Gir lion is similar in size to
the Central African lion,[9] and smaller than large African lions.[38] An adult male Asiatic lion weighs
160.1 kg (353 lb) on average with the limit being 190 kg (420 lb); a wild female weighs 100 to 130 kg
(220 to 285 lb).[39][40][1]
Manes[edit]

Asiatic (above) and southern African (below) lions. Note the

larger tail tuft, sparser mane on the head and prominent fold of skin on the abdomen of the
former.
Colour and development of manes in male lions varies between regions, among populations and with
age of lions.[41] In general, the Asiatic lion differs from the African lion by a less developed mane. [9] The
manes of most lions in ancient Greece and Asia Minor were also less developed and did not extend to
below the belly, sides or ulnas. Lions with such smaller manes were also known in the Syrian
region, Arabian Peninsula and Egypt.[2][42]

Exceptionally sized lions[edit]

The confirmed record total length of a male Asiatic lion is 2.92 m (9 ft 7 in), including the tail.
[43]
Emperor Jahangir allegedly speared a lion in the 1620s that measured 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in) and
weighed 306 kg (675 lb).[44] In 1841, English traveller Austen Henry Layard accompanied hunters
in Khuzestan, Iran, and sighted a lion which "had done much damage in the plain of Ram Hormuz,"
before one of his companions killed it. He described it as being "unusually large and of very dark
brown colour", with some parts of its body being almost black.[45] In 1935, a British admiral claimed to
have sighted a maneless lion near Quetta in Pakistan. He wrote "It was a large lion, very stocky, light
tawny in colour, and I may say that no one of us three had the slightest doubt of what we had seen
until, on our arrival at Quetta, many officers expressed doubts as to its identity, or to the possibility of
there being a lion in the district."[5]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

Habitat in Gir Forest

In Saurashtra's 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 are the only habitats supporting
the Asiatic lion.[10] After 1965, a national park was established covering an area of
258.71 km2 (99.89 sq mi) where human activity is not allowed. In the surrounding sanctuary
only Maldharis have the right to take their livestock for grazing.[46]

Lions inhabit remnant forest habitats in the two hill systems of Gir and Girnar that comprise Gujarat's
largest tracts of tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, 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)
large forest block that represents the core habitat of the lion population. 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 lions.[10] 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.[39]

The lion population recovered from the brink of extinction to 411 individuals by 2010. In that year,
approximately 105 lions lived outside the Gir forest, representing a quarter of the entire lion
population. Dispersing sub-adults established new territories outside their natal prides, and as a result
the satellite lion population has been increasing since 1995.[10] By 2015, the total population had
grown to an estimated 523 individuals, inhabiting an area of 7,000 km2 (2,700 sq mi) in the Saurashtra
region.[11][12][13] The Asiatic Lion Census conducted in 2017 revealed about 650 individuals.[14]

By 2020, at least six satellite populations had spread to eight districts in Gujarat and live in human-
dominated areas outside the protected area network.[47] 104 lived near the coastline. Lions living along
the coast, as well as those between the coastline and the Gir forest, have larger individual ranges.[48]

Former range[edit]
Men with a chained lion in Iran, c. 1880.[49] Photograph by Antoin Sevruguin exhibited in the National Museum of
Ethnology (Netherlands)

The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal, a sequence of Assyrian palace reliefs, Nineveh, Mesopotamia, 7th century BC

The Asiatic lion used to occur in Arabia, the Levant, Mesopotamia and Baluchistan.[9] In South
Caucasia (present day Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan), it was known since the Holocene, and
became extinct in the 10th century. Until the middle of the 19th century, it survived in regions
adjoining Mesopotamia and Syria, and was still sighted in the upper reaches of the Euphrates River in
the early 1870s.[2][3] By the late 19th century, the Asiatic lion had become extinct in Saudi
Arabia and Turkey.[7][50] The last known lion in Iraq was killed on the lower Tigris in 1918.[51]

Historical records in Iran indicate that it ranged from the Khuzestan Plain to Fars Province at
elevations below 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in steppe vegetation and pistachio-almond woodlands.[52] It was
widespread in the country, but in the 1870s, it was sighted only on the western slopes of the Zagros
Mountains, and in the forest regions south of Shiraz.[2] It served as the national emblem and appeared
on the country's flag. Some of the country's last lions were sighted in 1941 between Shiraz
and Jahrom in Fars Province, and in 1942, a lion was spotted about 65 km (40 mi) northwest of Dezful.
[53]
In 1944, the corpse of a lioness was found on the banks of the Karun River in Iran's Khuzestan
Province.[54][55]

In India, the Asiatic lion occurred in Sind, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar and
eastward as far as Palamau and Rewa, Madhya Pradesh in the early 19th century.[56][45] It once ranged
to Bangladesh in the east and up to Narmada River in the south.[45] Because of the lion's restricted
distribution in India, Reginald Innes Pocock assumed that it arrived from Europe, entering
southwestern Asia through Balochistan only recently, before humans started limiting its dispersal in
the country. The advent and increasing availability of firearms led to its local extirpation over large
areas.[9] Heavy hunting by British colonial officers and Indian rulers caused a steady and marked
decline of lion numbers in the country.[46] Lions were exterminated in Palamau by 1814, in Baroda,
Hariana and Ahmedabad district in the 1830s, in Kot Diji and Damoh in the 1840s. During the Indian
Rebellion of 1857, a British officer shot 300 lions. The last lions of Gwalior and Rewah were shot in the
1860s. One lion was killed near Allahabad in 1866.[56] The last lion of Mount Abu in Rajasthan was
spotted in 1872.[57] By the late 1870s, lions were extinct in Rajasthan. [45] By 1880, no lion survived
in Guna, Deesa and Palanpur districts, and only about a dozen lions were left in Junagadh district. By
the turn of the century, the Gir Forest held the only Asiatic lion population in India, which was
protected by the Nawab of Junagarh in his private hunting grounds.[9][45]

Ecology and behaviour[edit]

A male lion scent marking his territory in Gir Forest

Female and male lion

Young male

Male Asiatic lions are solitary, or associate with up to three males, forming a loose pride. Pairs of
males rest, hunt and feed together, and display marking behaviour at the same sites. Females
associate with up to twelve other females, forming a stronger pride together with their cubs. They
share large carcasses among each other, but seldom with males. Female and male lions usually
associate only for a few days when mating, but rarely live and feed together.[58][59]

Results of a radio telemetry study indicate that annual home ranges of male lions vary from 144 to
230 km2 (56 to 89 sq mi) in dry and wet seasons. Home ranges of females are smaller, varying between
67 and 85 km2 (26 and 33 sq mi).[60] During hot and dry seasons, they favour densely vegetated and
shady riverine habitats, where prey species also congregate.[61][62]

Coalitions of males defend home ranges containing one or more female prides. [63] Together, they hold
a territory for a longer time than single lions. Males in coalitions of three to four individuals exhibit a
pronounced hierarchy with one male dominating the others.[64]
The lions in Gir National Park are active at twilight and by night, showing a high temporal overlap
with sambar (Rusa unicolor), wild boar (Sus scrofa) and nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus).[65]

Feeding ecology[edit]
In general, lions prefer large prey species within a weight range of 190 to 550 kg (420 to 1,210 lb),
irrespective of their availability.[66] Domestic cattle have historically been a major component of the
Asiatic lions' diet in the Gir Forest.[9] Inside Gir Forest National Park, lions predominantly
kill chital (Axis axis), sambar deer, nilgai, cattle (Bos taurus), domestic water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis),
and less frequently wild boar.[60] They most commonly kill chital, which weighs only around 50 kg
(110 lb).[63] They prey on sambar deer when the latter descend from the hills during summer. Outside
the protected area where wild prey species do not occur, lions prey on water buffalo and cattle, and
rarely on dromedary (Camelus dromedarius). They generally kill most prey less than 100 m (330 ft)
away from water bodies, charge prey from close range and drag carcasses into dense cover. [60] They
regularly visit specific sites within the protected area to scavenge on dead livestock dumped
by Maldhari livestock herders.[67] During dry, hot months, they also prey on mugger
crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) on the banks of Kamleshwar Dam.[55]: 148

In 1974, the Forest Department estimated the wild ungulate population at 9,650 individuals. In the
following decades, the wild ungulate population has grown consistently to 31,490 in 1990 and 64,850
in 2010, including 52,490 chital, 4,440 wild boar, 4,000 sambar, 2,890 nilgai, 740 chinkara (Gazella
bennetti), and 290 four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis). In contrast, populations of
domestic buffalo and cattle declined following resettlement, largely due to direct removal of resident
livestock from the Gir Conservation Area. The population of 24,250 domestic livestock in the 1970s
declined to 12,500 by the mid-1980s, but increased to 23,440 animals in 2010. Following changes in
both predator and prey communities, Asiatic lions shifted their predation patterns. Today, very few
livestock kills occur within the sanctuary, and instead most occur in peripheral villages. Depredation
records indicate that in and around the Gir Forest, lions killed on average 2,023 livestock annually
between 2005 and 2009, and an additional 696 individuals in satellite areas.[10]

Dominant males consume about 47% more from kills than their coalition partners. Aggression
between partners increases when coalitions are large, but kills are small.[64]

Reproduction[edit]

Lions mating in Gir Forest

A pride of adult lions and their cubs

Asiatic lions mating

Asiatic lions mate foremost between October and November.[68] Mating lasts three to six days. During
these days, they usually do not hunt, but only drink water. Gestation lasts about 110 days. Litters
comprise one to four cubs.[69] The average interval between births is 24 months, unless cubs die due
to infanticide by adult males or because of diseases and injuries. Cubs become independent at the age
of about two years. Subadult males leave their natal pride latest at the age of three years and become
nomads until they establish their own territory.[59] Dominant males mate more frequently than their
coalition partners. During a study carried out between December 2012 and December 2016, three
females were observed switching mating partners in favour of the dominant male. [64] Monitoring of
more than 70 mating events showed that females mated with males of several rivaling prides that
shared their home ranges, and that these males were tolerant toward the same cubs. Only new males
that entered the female territories killed unfamiliar cubs. Young females mated foremost with males
within their home ranges. Older females selected males at the periphery of their home ranges.[70]

Threats[edit]

A painting of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan hunting lions in

the area of Burhanpur, present-day Madhya Pradesh, from 1630
The Asiatic lion currently exists as a single subpopulation, and is thus vulnerable to extinction from
unpredictable events, such as an epidemic or large forest fire. There are indications
of poaching incidents in recent years, as well as reports that organized poacher gangs have switched
attention from local Bengal tigers to the Gujarat lions. There have also been a number of drowning
incidents, after lions fell into wells.[1]

Prior to the resettlement of Maldharis, the Gir forest was heavily degraded and used by livestock,
which competed with and restricted the population sizes of native ungulates. Various studies reveal
tremendous habitat recovery and increases in wild ungulate populations following the resettlement of
Maldharis since the 1970s.[10]

Nearly 25 lions in the vicinity of Gir Forest were found dead in October 2018. Four of them had died
because of canine distemper virus, the same virus that had also killed several lions in the Serengeti.[71]
[72]

Conflicts with humans[edit]

Since the mid 1990s, the Asiatic lion population has increased to an extent that by 2015, about a third
resided outside the protected area. Hence, conflict between local residents and wildlife also
increased. Local people protect their crops from nilgai, wild boar, and other herbivores by using
electrical fences that are powered with high voltage. Some consider the presence of predators a
benefit, as they keep the herbivore population in check. But some also fear the lions, and killed
several in retaliation for attacks on livestock.[73]

In July 2012, a lion dragged a man from the veranda of his house and killed him about 50–60 km (31–
37 mi) from Gir Forest National Park. This was the second attack by a lion in this area, six months after
a 25-year-old man was attacked and killed in Dhodadar.[74]