15-11-1993 AMBOSELI, KENYA - SOUTHERN LION (MALE) (Panthera leo ssp. melanochaita)

Panthera leo melanochaita is a lion subspecies in Southern and East Africa. In this part of Africa, lion populations are regionally extinct in Lesotho, Djibouti and Eritrea, and are threatened by loss of habitat and prey base, killing by local people in retaliation for loss of livestock, and in several countries also by trophy hunting. Since the turn of the 21st century, lion populations in intensively managed protected areas in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe have increased, but declined in East African range countries. In 2005, a Lion Conservation Strategy was developed for East and Southern Africa.

Results of a phylogeographic study indicate that lion populations in southern and eastern Africa form a major clade distinct from lion populations in West Africa, Central Africa and Asia. In 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group subsumed lion populations according to the major clades into two subspecies, namely P. l. leo and P. l. melanochaita. Within P. l. melanochaita three subclades are clearly distinguishable. One from northeastern Africa, another one from southwestern Africa and a third one from southeastern Africa.

The type specimen for P. l. melanochaita was a black-maned lion from the Cape of Good Hope, known as the Cape lion. Phylogeographic analysis of lion samples from Gabon and the Republic of the Congo indicate their close genetic relation to P. l. melanochaita samples from Namibia and Botswana. It has been referred to as the Southern lion, Southern African lion, East-Southern African lion and the "southern subspecies".

Panthera leo melanochaita is the subspecies of lion (Southern/East African) covering populations from South Africa to East Africa, identified genetically as distinct from northern counterparts. They are large apex predators with dark-maned males, living in prides of ~15, and are threatened by habitat loss.

Key Facts about Panthera leo melanochaita

Taxonomy: Reclassified in 2017 to include all southern and eastern African lions, including the formerly distinct "Cape lion".

Appearance & Size: Males weigh 150–225 kg (330–550 lbs) and females 122–192 kg (265–395 lbs). They are well-muscled, have tawny fur, and males often have dark, thick manes.

Habitat & Distribution: Primarily found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, preferring savannahs, grasslands, and woodlands.