Read Peter Jackson's expert answers to your questions on the following topics:
Tiger size
Tiger types
Tiger travel
Cat aggression
Cat DNA
Cheetah classification
Lion differences
Cat speed
Tiger tolerance
Tiger defenses

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Q: On Lion Differences

I was wondering if you know a lot about Asiatic or Barbary Lions. Are they actually the same lion? If not, what makes them different? If they are different, is the Barbary the one that is also called the Atlas lion? Which are extinct/endangered?

A: Atlas and Barbary are names for the same lion (Panthera leo leo), which lived in northeastern Africa. The last confirmed record is of one shot in 1893. Genetic researchers are trying to establish whether captive lions in the Moroccan national zoo in Temara have trace genes of the Barbary lion. Other captive lions with big black manes, characteristic of the Barbary lion, are also being examined. It is widely accepted that all African lions, including the Barbary lion and the lions we know today, belong to the same subspecies.

In the distant past, there is no doubt that lions had a single range from sub-Saharan Africa through West and North Africa to southwest Asia and India. Geneticists have found only minor differences between Asian and African lions from south of the Sahara, less than that between human races, and say the genomes indicate that they separated about 100,000 years ago, a short period in evolution. The surviving Asiatic lions, about 300 of which are confined to the Gir forest region of western India, have some distinct characteristics, such as a skimpier mane and a belly fold, which is rare in African lions. However, the manes of Asiatic lions in captivity often grow to the same size as those of African lions, although their ears show, which does not occur in African lions.