Barbary Lion
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The Barbary lion is a subspecies of lion famed for its size and massive dark mane. Barbary lions lived in relatively small prides relative to other lions, with some simply being same-sex pairs. This is the lion that the Romans pit gladiators against, and this is the lion Carl Linnaeus descsribed in 1758. The Barbary lion was long familiar to people. Once deer and gazelle became rare, livestock became the most common prey of the Barbary lion. It was considered a threat, and bounties were put on its head. The last recorded Barbary lion was shot in 1942, and sightings diminished soon after. The Big Cat Complex is home to our two Barbary lions: two brothers bonded to each other. Spartacus, with his fluffy reddish mane, is the dominant of the two in personality. The darker Leonidas is more laid-back, and prefers to lie down while his brother hams it up for the crowd. |
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