Historical distribution of lions against present day distribution of lions. [880x768]
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Because I didn't realise that is where the map was originally from. I was just on Instagram when I saw it and thought the lovely people on reddit would appreciate it! Thank you for posting the original source!
What's with the big gap in the middle of Africa? I realize the more northern areas are desert but not sure about the gap in the center of the continent.
It's mostly the Congo rainforests. Lions don't live in rainforests.
Probably the same reason the western strip of India was sans lions.
Correcto. Western Ghats are dense as fuck.
Ok thanks. Makes sense.
Yay India, keep up the good work!
India is the last refuge of the Asiatic Lion and their numbers are increasing every year thanks to Indian conservation effort.
One country is literally keeping the lions from going extinct, we should all commend India for this endeavour!
They could be doing a lot better: plans to reintroduce the Asiatic lion to other parts of India have been complicated by resistance from the state of Gujarat. Keeping them all pinned up in one place increases the population's vulnerability to epidemics, natural disasters, and human incursion.
Apparently, Gujarat doesn't want Gir Forest to lose its special status as Earth's only home of the species. Also, tourist monies.
It's already being done.
Asiatic lion has been introduced in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra along with other districts of Gujarat.
Really? Well, my info is horrifically outdated.
Toute de suite, score one for the good guys~!
Really? I'm going to Gujarat in a few weeks specifically to go to Gir. I know they roam the areas around the park for a not-inconsiderable distance, but I thought Gujarat really had blocked their transport elsewhere.
I don't understand how there can be uncertainty regarding lions once living in Western Europe. Wouldn't archeological and historical evidence make it clear one way or the other?
Well, there are relatively few written sources, all of whom have to be taken with a grain (or boulder, Herodotus) of salt. Artistic representations are not legitimate evidence, and bones from historical times have many issues: they could have been from captive lions, etc. As far as I know, there are no perfect archaeological sources, i.e. clearly wild lion bones found away from any human activities.
I disagree that Herodotus and Aristotle stating that lions lived in Greece in historic times should be taken with a grain of salt.
Persian sources say Xerxes encountered several lions when campaigning in Greece.
There are ample Roman sources mentioning European lions. For instance, after European lions had been exhausted in their arena sports, they turned to Barbary lions (from North Africa). Dio Chrysostom wrote that the lion was extinct in Europe by 1st century CE.
I can't find the source, but I recall reading that a Colosseum event boasted featuring the "last European lions."
It is not controversial that the cause of the extinction of the European lion was their capture and slaughter for Roman arena blood sport.
As for u/ape_pants question, there are fossil remains of lions elsewhere in Europe, but "historic" means of a period where records survive, hence the question marks.
The comment I replied to referenced only Western Europe. While I agree that many sources, of which Herodotus and Aristotle are certainly the most believable (one traveled a fair amount and the other was legitimately interested in biology), place lions in modern Macedonia/Greece/Bulgaria/Turkey, I am not aware of one that places them in Western Europe. Roman historians speaking of lions in Europe almost certainly refer to Greek/Balkan lions and I've never seen a source to contradict that.
Agreed
A boulder of salt would mean it should be trusted.
I wonder if there were ever cases of naturally occurring lion-tiger hybrids back when the 2 species had overlapping ranges.
I knew lions used to live outside of Africa in the past but I thought they were exclusively found in Africa now, I was surprised to see there's actually a few individuals who [live in India] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic_lion)