Body size of the wild lions (Panthera leo ) from East

Africa:
By Raúl A. Valvert L.
Guatemala, March 2014. Table 1
Measurements and weights of adult male lions, according with modern research and verified hunting records.
Total length Head-body Shoulder
No. Weight (kg) Location Reference
(mm) length (mm) height (mm)
1 3011 2032 1067 234.0 Rowland Ward, 1914
East Africa
2 2998 2083 1092 205+ kg Gibbons, 1898 *
3 2980 1950 - - British East Africa Hollister, 1918
4 2972 1956 - 186.9 Kenya Roosevelt & Heller, 1914
5 2896 - - 230.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Patterson, 2004
6 2860 1830 - - N-E. Belgian Congo Hollister, 1918
7 2850 - 1100 204.7 Tanzania Rodgers, 1974
8 2846 - 1067 189.6
9 2846 - 1041 184.2 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
10 2846 - 991 171.9
11 2820 1963 - 182.3 Habr Heshi, Somalia Peel, 1900
12 2820 - 1016 186.0 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
13 2795 - - - Uganda Meikle & Meikle, 1917
14 2780 1830 - - N-E. Belgian Congo Hollister, 1918
15 2769 1855 914 - British East Africa Bennet, 1914
16 2769 - - - Somalia Inverarity, 1891
17 2769 - 965 174.2 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
18 2749 1835 - - Hollister, 1918
British East Africa
19 2744 1905 965 - Bennet, 1914
20 2744 - 864 181.0
Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
21 2744 - 1016 175.1
22 2744 - 1118 - Uganda Meikle & Meikle, 1917
23 2740 1760 - -
British East Africa
24 2730 1720 - - Hollister, 1918
25 2730 1760 - - N-E. Belgian Congo
26 2730 185 980 169.1 Amboseli NP, Kenya ** Van der Werf, 2008; KWS, 2009; Jirmo et al ., 2010
27 2725 1815 - 193.2 Serengeti NP, Tanzania Schaller, 1972
28 2718 - - 195.0 Maji Moto, Tanzania Crile, 1936
29 2718 - 991 172.8 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
30 2717 2000 997 154.1 Amboseli NP, Kenya ** Van der Werf, 2008; KWS, 2009; Jirmo et al ., 2010
31 2706 - 908 176.5 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
32 2700 - 1050 153.0 Tanzania Rodgers, 1974
33 2668 - 1016 - Uganda Meikle & Meikle, 1917
34 2660 1750 940 167.5 Guggisberg, 1975
Kenya
35 2642 - 965 156.9 Meinertzhagen, 1938
36 2642 - - - Somalia Inverarity, 1891
37 2630 1689 889 - British East Africa Bennet, 1914
38 2630 - 902 170.6 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
39 2617 - - 186.0 Maji Moto, Tanzania Crile, 1936
40 2610 - 1010 145.4 Tanzania Rodgers, 1974
41 2591 - 1016 191.0
Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
42 2591 - 914 149.2
43 2570 - 1100 168.9
Tanzania Rodgers, 1974
44 2550 - 1070 163.3
45 2500 - - 180.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Patterson, 2004
46 2464 - 813 175.1 Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
47 - 1730 - -
British East Africa Hollister, 1918
48 - 1630 - -
49 - - - 235.0 Ngorongoro CA, Tanzania Jansson, 2013 ***
50 - - - 200.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Patterson, 2004
51 - - - 200.0 Amboseli NP, Kenya Lion Guardians, 2009
52 - - - 190.5 Kenya Percival, 1985
53 - - - 180.0 Amboseli NP, Kenya Lion Guardians, 2009
54 - - - 169.0
West & Packer, 2013
55 - - - 155.5 Serengeti NP, Tanzania
56 - - - 155.3 Schaller, 1972
57 - - - 146.0 Ngorongoro CA, Tanzania Panthera.org, 2013
58 272 Kenya Robert Kock, 1993
X 274 185 100 185
n 46 20 29 52
Max. 3011 2083 1118 272
Min. 2464 1630 813 145.4

* This specimen bottomed a scale with a capacity of 450 lb (c.204 kg).

** In its last capture, the specimens No. 26 and 30 had a head-body length of 1850 and 2000 mm respectively (Jirmo et al,., 2010).
*** Includes the stomach content from its last meal.
N-E.: North East. NP: National Park. CA: Conservation Area. Only measurements "between pegs" or in "straight line" were used.

Note: Bertram & King (1976) captured 11 male lions in the Serengeti NP, Tanzania, from which they got an average weight of 187 kg
(adjusted for stomach content). With stomach content around 197 kg (personal communication)
 Table 2
Measurements and weights of adult female lions, according with modern research and verified hunting records.
Total length Head-body Shoulder
No. Weight (kg) Location Reference
(mm) length (mm) height (mm)
1 2700 1760 910 - Amboseli NP, Kenya Van der Werf, 2008; Jirmo et al ., 2010
2 2690 - 990 185.5
Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
3 2680 - 864 158.3
4 2551 1575 - -
British East Africa Hollister, 1918
5 2550 1590 - -
6 2541 - 1016 - Uganda Meikle & Meikle, 1917
7 2540 1575 - - Roosevelt & Heller, 1914
Kenya
8 2540 - 1016 167.4 Meinertzhagen, 1938
9 2520 - 980 106.1 Amboseli NP, Kenya Van der Werf, 2008
10 2515 - - - Somalia Inverarity, 1891
11 2502 1639 838 - British East Africa Bennet, 1914
12 2500 - - 120.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Patterson, 2004
13 2490 - - - Somalia Inverarity, 1891
14 2464 1524 965 -
British East Africa Bennet, 1914
15 2439 1588 851 -
16 2430 1480 - - N-E. Belgian Congo
Hollister, 1918
17 2422 1621 - - British East Africa
18 2420 1680 820 - Jirmo et al ., 2010
Amboseli NP, Kenya
19 2415 - 840 112.6 Van der Werf, 2008
20 2414 - 991 - Uganda Meikle & Meikle, 1917
21 2410 1490 - - British East Africa Hollister, 1918
22 2410 - 876 122.0
Kenya Meinertzhagen, 1938
23 2410 - 864 122.0
24 2400 1560 - - N-E. Belgian Congo Hollister, 1918
25 2400 1540 - 126.0 Tanzania Schaller, 1972 *
26 2395 1524 838 - Bennet, 1914
27 2380 1470 - -
British East Africa
28 2380 1560 - -
29 2360 1520 - - Hollister, 1918
30 2330 1530 - -
N-E. Belgian Congo
31 2240 1440 - -
32 2230 1470 780 133.4 Kenya Guggisberg, 1975
33 2134 1410 - - British East Africa Hollister, 1918
34 2104 - - 92.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Patterson, 2004
35 - - - 180.0 Laikipia, Kenya
36 - - - 150.0 Amboseli NP, Kenya
Lion Guardians, 2009
37 - - - 148.0 Laikipia, Kenya
38 - - - 130.0 Amboseli NP, Kenya
39 - - - 126.1 Tanzania Rodgers, 1974
40 - - - 121.0
41 - - - 119.5
42 - - - 110.0
43 - - - 110.0 Aberdares NP, Kenya Bernard Ngoru, in litt ., 2010
44 - - - 108.0
45 - - - 100.0
46 - - - 98.0
X 2438 1550 902 128.1
n 34 21 16 23
Max. 2700 1760 1016 185.5
Min. 2104 1410 780 92.0

* This specimen was pregnant and also have 9 kg of food in her stomach.
N-E.: North East. NP: National Park. Only measurements "between pegs" or in "straight line" were used.

Note: Bertram & King (1976) captured 15 female lions in the Serengeti NP, Tanzania, from which they got an average weight of 124 kg
(adjusted for stomach content). Finally, West & Packer (2013) reported other 4 female lions captured in the same region and their average
weight was of 111 kg, the lightest and heaviest specimens weighed 90.5 and 138 kg respectively. Overall, the average weight for a female
lion in East Africa is of c.121 kg (n=42).