IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Dunkley, R. | |
| Circus lion of ancient Rome rises from dead | |
| 1997 Newspaper | |
Ancient Rome's fabled Barbary lion may not be extinct after all. Experts believe that three lions, a male and two females, rescued by a British charity from a circus in Mozambique are Barbarys. The Barbary Lion (Panthera leo leo) lived in North Africa. It was large, weighing up to 500lbs and measuring 10ft. The male's black mane extends from the head, neck and chest down to the belly, and the female has square features. Barbarys were taken by the Romans to compete with gladiators in the Colosseum and other public theatres. It was also hunted as a menace to livestock. In Libya it was exterminated by 1700. A few survived in Egypt until the end of the 18th century. |
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