The term "maneless lion" or "scanty mane lion" often refers to a male
lion without a
mane, or with a weak one.[1][2]
The purpose of the mane is thought to signal the
fitness of males to females. Experts disagree as to whether or not the mane defends the male lion's throat in confrontations.[3][4][5][6]
Although lions are known for their mane, not all males have one.[2] This might be because of a
polymorphism within males.[7]
Men with a restrained lion in
Iran,[8] notice the lack of its mane, although it might be a young or a female lion.
The
Asiatic lion is often considered to have a weak mane compared to its cousins in Africa, due to the
hot climate in Asia,[9] but this does not always apply. 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 that occurred in
Mesopotamia had hair on the underbelly, unlike modern lions in the wilderness of
India,[10] and also, a relief from
Nineveh in the Mesopotamian Plain shows a lion with underbelly hair. Lions with such smaller manes were also known in the
Syrian region,
Arabian peninsula and
Egypt,[11] while in
Gir Forest of
India, cases of maneless lions are rarely reported.
In
Iran there are often pictures of
stone reliefs with Asiatic lions without a mane.
Tsavo is a region of Kenya located at the crossing of the Uganda Railway over the Tsavo River, close to where it meets the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River. Tsavo male lions generally do not have a mane, though colouration and thickness vary. There are several hypotheses as to the reasons. One is that mane development is closely tied to climate because its presence significantly reduces heat loss.[14] An alternative explanation is that manelessness is an adaptation to the thorny vegetation of the Tsavo area in which a mane might hinder hunting. Tsavo males may have heightened levels of
testosterone, which could also explain their reputation for aggression.[14]
^Packer, C. (2023). The Lion: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation of an Iconic Species. Princeton University Press. pp. 137, 145.
ISBN978-0-691-21529-7.
^Sevruguin, A. (1880).
"Men with live lion". National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, The Netherlands; Stephen Arpee Collection. Archived from
the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
^Pocock, R. I. (1939).
"Panthera leo". The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Mammalia. – Volume 1. London: Taylor and Francis Ltd. pp. 212–222.
^Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992) [1972].
"Lion". Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union, Volume II, Part 2]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 83–95.
ISBN978-90-04-08876-4.
^Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992) [1972].
"Lion". Mlekopitajuščie Sovetskogo Soiuza. Moskva: Vysšaia Škola [Mammals of the Soviet Union, Volume II, Part 2]. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution and the National Science Foundation. pp. 83–95.
ISBN978-90-04-08876-4.
^Barnett, R.; Yamaguchi, N.; Barnes, I. & Cooper, A. (2006). "Lost populations and preserving genetic diversity in the lion Panthera leo: Implications for its ex situ conservation". Conservation Genetics. 7 (4): 507–514.
doi:
10.1007/s10592-005-9062-0.
S2CID24190889.
^Schoe, M.; Sogbohossou, E. A.; Kaandorp, J.; De Iongh, H. (2010), "Progress Report – collaring operation Pendjari Lion Project, Benin", The Dutch Zoo Conservation Fund (for funding the project)
^Nagel, D.; Hilsberg, S.; Benesch, A.; Scholtz, J. (2003). "Functional morphology and fur patterns in recent and fossil Panthera species". Scripta Geologica 126: 227–239.
^Koenigswald, Wighart von (2002). Lebendige Eiszeit: Klima und Tierwelt im Wandel (in German). Stuttgart: Theiss.
ISBN978-3-8062-1734-6.
^Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki; Cooper, A.; Werdelin, L.; MacDonald, David W. (2004). "Evolution of the mane and group-living in the lion (Panthera leo): a review". Journal of Zoology. 263 (4): 329–342.
doi:
10.1017/S0952836904005242.