Barbary Lion and Cape Lion

The Barbary Lion (Panthera leo leo), also known as Atlas lion or Nubian lion and the The Cape Lion (Panthera leo melanochaitus) are both subspecies of lion that are now extinct in the wild. There are unconfirmed reports that a number of both subspecies, or at least their descendants, survive in captivity.

Matching the size of a Bengal Tiger, the Barabary Lion is the largest of the lion subspecies with males weighing between 400-650 lbs (181 to 295kg) and females 270-400 lbs (120 to 181 kg). The Barbary Lion formerly ranged in the Atlas Mountains of north Africa and in territory from Morocco to Egypt.

One of its most spectacular features was its extensive mane. The mane surrounding the face was golden and the remainder, which ran all the way to the groin was dark brown or black. The last known Barbary Lion in the wild was shot in the Atlas Mountains in 1922.

The black-maned Cape Lion ranged along the Cape of Africa on the southern tip of the continent. As with the Barbary Lion, the Cape Lion’s most spectacular feature was its magnificent black mane which extended beyond its shoulders and along its stomach. The last Cape Lion seen in Cape Province was killed in 1858.