Traditionally, the Cape lion was considered a distinct
subspecies of lion, Panthera leo melanochaita.[4][5] However,
phylogeographic analysis has shown that lion populations in
Southern and
East Africa are closely related.[6][7] In 2017, the subspecies Panthera leo melanochaita was recircumscribed to include all lion populations in Southern and East Africa.[8] Genetic analysis published in 2023 suggests that Cape lions were not particularly distinctive from other Southern African lion populations.[9]
Taxonomy
Felis (Leo) melanochaita was a black-maned lion
specimen from the
Cape of Good Hope that was described by
Ch. H. Smith in 1842.[3][4] In the 19th century, naturalists and hunters recognised it as a distinct
subspecies because of this dark mane colour.[1] In the 20th century, some authors supported this view of the Cape lion being a distinct subspecies.[10][11]Vratislav Mazák hypothesized that it evolved geographically isolated from other populations by the
Great Escarpment.[1]
This theory was questioned in the early 21st century. Genetic exchanges between lion populations in the Cape,
Kalahari and
Transvaal regions, and farther east are considered having been possible through a corridor between the escarpment and the
Indian Ocean.[6] Results of
phylogeographic studies support this notion of lions in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa being genetically close.[12][13] Based on the analysis of 357 lion samples from 10 countries, it is thought that lions migrated from Southern to East Africa during the
Pleistocene and
Holocene.[12] Analysis of 194 lion samples from 22 countries suggest that populations in Southern and East Africa are distinct from populations in
West and
North Africa and
Asia.[13] In 2017, lion populations in Southern and East Africa were subsumed under P. l. melanochaita.[8]
The type specimen of the Cape lion was described as very large with black-edged ears and a black mane extending beyond the shoulders and under the belly.[3] Skulls of two lion specimen in the
British Natural History Museum from the Orange River basin were described as a little shorter in the
occipital regions than other lions in South Africa and with a tendency to develop the second lower
premolar.[1]
American
zoologistEdmund Heller described the Cape lion's skull as longer than those of
equatorial lions, by at least 1.0 in (25 mm) on average, despite being comparatively narrow. He considered the Cape lion to have been 'distinctly' bigger than other lions in Africa.[19]
Lions approaching 272 kg (600 lb) were shot south of the
Vaal River.[20] 19th century authors claimed that the Cape lion was bigger than the
Asiatic lion.[21]
Results of a long-term study indicate that the colour of lion manes is influenced by climatic variables and varies between individuals. Manes are darker and longer in cool seasons,[22] with a 2023 study finding that the colour of Cape lion manes exhibited the same dark-light colour variation found in other lions and that mane colour was not a distinctive characteristic of this population.[9]
Distribution and habitat
In the early 19th century, lions still occurred in the
Karoo plains and in the
Northern Cape. In 1844, lions were sighted south of the
Riet River. The last lions south of the
Orange River were sighted between 1850 and 1858. In the northern
Orange Free State, lions may have survived into the 1860s.[1]
In 2000, specimens asserted to be descendants of the Cape lion were found in captivity in Russia, and two of them were brought to
South Africa. South African zoo director John Spence reportedly was long fascinated by stories of these grand lions scaling the walls of
Jan van Riebeeck's
Fort de Goede Hoop in the 17th century. He studied van Riebeeck's journals to discern the Cape lion's features, which included a long black mane, black in their ears, and reportedly a larger size. He believed that some Cape lions might have been taken to Europe and interbred with other lions. His 30-year search led to his discovery of black-maned lions with features of the Cape lion at the
Novosibirsk Zoo in
Siberia, in 2000.[24][25] Besides having a black mane, the specimen that attracted Spence had a "wide face and sturdy legs". Novosibirsk Zoo's population, which had 40 cubs over a 30-year period, continues, and Spence, aided by the
Schönbrunn Zoo in
Vienna, was allowed to bring two cubs back to
Tygerberg Zoo. Back in South Africa, Spence explained that he hoped to breed lions that at least looked like Cape lions, and to have
DNA testing done to establish whether or not the cubs were descendants of the original Cape lion.[26] However, Spence died in 2010 and the zoo closed in 2012, with the lions expected to go to
Drakenstein Lion Park.[27]
^
abcdefMazak, V. (1975). "Notes on the Black-maned Lion of the Cape, Panthera leo melanochaita (Ch. H. Smith, 1842) and a Revised List of the Preserved Specimens". Verhandelingen Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (64): 1–44.
ISBN0-7204-8289-5.
^
abcSmith, C.H. (1842).
"Black maned lion Leo melanochaita". In Jardine, W. (ed.). The Naturalist's Library. Vol. 15. Mammalia. London: Chatto and Windus. p. Plate X, 177.
^
abBertola, L. D.; Van Hooft, W. F.; Vrieling, K.; Uit De Weerd, D. R.; York, D. S.; Bauer, H.; Prins, H. H. T.; Funston, P. J.; Udo De Haes, H. A.; Leirs, H.; Van Haeringen, W. A.; Sogbohossou, E.; Tumenta, P. N.; De Iongh, H. H. (2011). "Genetic diversity, evolutionary history and implications for conservation of the lion (Panthera leo) in West and Central Africa". Journal of Biogeography. 38 (7): 1356–1367.
doi:
10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02500.x.
S2CID82728679.
^Lundholm, B. (1952). "A skull of a Cape Lioness (Felis leo melanochaitus H. Smith)". Annale van die Transvaal Museum. 22 (1): 21−24.
^
abMazak, V. and Husson. A.M. (1960). "Einige Bemerkungen über den Kaplöwen, Panthera leo melanochaitus (Ch. H. Smith, 1842)". Zoologische Mededelingen. 37 (7): 101−111.