Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 136, April 2016, pp. 1-35. | Page 2

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On Sunday 27 July 2014, I visited accompanied with my beloved daughter Nora
Norman Ali Khalaf and the Palestinian Researcher Mr. Daoud Al-Hali the
Natural History Museum in Al-Baq‟a Suburb, Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Occupied
Palestine. It exhibited many taxidermied Palestinian animal specimens and also
some animals which became extinct in Palestine like the Lion (Panthera leo
Linnaeus, 1758). One Lion and a Lioness were presented to the City of Jerusalem
by ESI-Engineering Services International Jerusalem-Kampala.
The Asiatic or Persian Lion (Panthera leo persica Meyer, 1826) is a subspecies of
lion (Panthera leo). The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion, which in historical times
ranged from Caucasus to Yemen and from Macedonia to India through Arabia
and Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest National Park of western India. About
350 lions (August 2005) live in a 1,412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the
state of Gujarat. In 1907 there were only 13 lions left in the Gir, when the Nawab
of Junagadh gave complete protection to them (Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2006).
The Asiatic lion was first described by the Austrian zoologist Johann N. Meyer
under the trinomen Felis leo persicus. It is also known as the Persian lion
(Wikipedia).
Persian Lion, is similar to a tiger in the length of body and tail, but differs in skin
colour which is tawny overall without the appearance of dark vertical stripes.
Coat is thicker than African lions, with a longer black tail tassel and a more
prominent tuft of hair on the elbows. Black patches are visible at the back of the
ears. However, there is little variation in colour between the sides of its body and
its abdomen, and between the inner surface of the limbs and the outer surface.
There is even one example of a melanistic Persian lion. The archaeologist Sir
Austen Henry Layard reports that he saw a very big Persian lion, which was
described as being "very dark brown in colour, in parts almost black."
Males are larger in size than females. The size of the mane varies from race to
race with the Persian race having a smaller mane than the African one. The
colouration of the manes varies from lion to lion. The only rare ones are the very
dark manes, which according to a research done in Africa are the ones preferred
by lionesses. The young are sometimes born with an even colour overall, but
often a row of patches is visible on the upper surface of the body; seeming like a
horizontal stripe. Patches usually disappear after 6 months but may still be
visible up two or more years (Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2006).
Lions mostly live in large prides. These prides can sometimes have up to 3 adult
males but it is always one that is the dominant leader. The males are known for
their laziness and lordship like behaviour. The females do all the hunting, with
the males only rarely joining in when the prey is a very large animal like an
aggressive buffalo. However, once the kill is made, the males always get the first
go at the meal (Khalaf-von Jaffa, 2006).
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 136 – April 2016