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"Tower Lions" May Help Resurrect Extinct African Breed?
National Geographic News ^ | 4-4-2008 | James Owen

Posted on 04/09/2008 1:12:41 PM PDT by blam

"Tower Lions" May Help Resurrect Extinct African Breed?

James Owen
for National Geographic News
April 4, 2008

An extinct breed of lion from North Africa was held at the Tower of London in medieval times, a new study shows.

A pair of skulls unearthed from the tower's moat in the 1930s belonged to Barbary lions, a subspecies that has since died out in the wild.

The discovery raises the possibility that descendants of Barbary lions may still survive in captivity, which could help efforts to resurrect the dark-maned breed, researchers say.

The lions' North African roots were revealed by analysis of mitochondrial DNA, a genetic marker passed between females.

What's more, the DNA reveals that the two animals represent the oldest confirmed Barbary lion remains in the world, the study team said.

The findings are reported in the current issue of the journal Contributions to Zoology.

Exploited Population

Radiocarbon dating of the lion skulls in 2005 indicated that the two male cats first came to the tower in the 13th century, the oldest being dated to between A.D. 1280 and 1385.

At that time the palace housed the Royal Menagerie, a diverse collection of exotic animals owned by the reigning monarch.

Carcasses of dead animals from the menagerie were likely thrown into the moat, where they became buried in silt, said study team member Richard Sabin of the Natural History Museum in London.

The environment preserved the lion skulls remarkably well, allowing genetic samples to be taken, Sabin said.

The DNA analysis supports historical evidence suggesting that Barbary lions had an ancient presence in Europe, he added.

"We know that the Romans were exploiting the short distance across the Mediterranean to North Africa to take animals for gladiatorial games and exhibitions," he said. (See a map of the region.)

"The Barbary lion population had been exploited for at least a couple of thousand years. It was quite easy for people to nip over from Italy, Spain, and Portugal to pick them up."

The last reported Barbary lion in the wild was shot in the Atlas Mountains in northwest Africa in 1922, Sabin said.

Since then, hopes of reviving the subspecies have focused on captive lions, especially those showing signs of the Barbary's most distinctive feature: a noticeably long, dark mane.

"Because we have these good genetic samples from known purebred Barbary lions, we can compare DNA from those ancient specimens to the ones that potentially are still alive in zoos today," Sabin said.

"There may be descendents of them still in the U.K. in zoos and wild-animal parks, but this is something that would need to be ascertained through genetic study."

Opening Doors

Nobuyuki Yamaguchi of the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit is leading efforts to trace potential Barbary survivors.

Yamaguchi, who co-authored the new study, says that to date no living Barbary lions have been confirmed in captivity, despite various rumors to the contrary.

While he says the Tower of London find doesn't directly assist his search, he hopes it might help widen the net.

"For example, once many people know that a DNA test would be available for checking if a lion might be a Barbary, museums and zoos may want to carry out the test," he said.

"In this context, our recent works can provide the key if people would like to open the door."

Lions have been known to breed well in captivity—even when kept in unsuitable conditions, such as those before the 20th century—Yamaguchi noted.

"Therefore, it is natural for people to consider that there must be some zoo lions today that carry the Barbary blood," he said.

The long-term aim, he added, is to return the lion to part of its former range in North Africa.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: barbary; godsgravesglyphs; lions; london; tower

1 posted on 04/09/2008 1:12:41 PM PDT by blam
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To: SunkenCiv; Red Badger; ZULU; Bahbah; bannie
Barbary lions were part of medieval Tower of London zoo


2 posted on 04/09/2008 1:18:24 PM PDT by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: blam
The long-term aim, he added, is to return the lion to part of its former range in North Africa.

I'm guessing the people of this lion's former range have not been included in the decision making.

3 posted on 04/09/2008 1:21:26 PM PDT by decimon
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To: blam

here kitty kitty...


4 posted on 04/09/2008 1:21:56 PM PDT by bobjam
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To: blam

Interesting! But not a project I’d throw money at.


5 posted on 04/09/2008 1:23:31 PM PDT by Dr. Bogus Pachysandra ("Don't touch that thing")
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To: blam

Amazing animal. What an interesting possibility.


6 posted on 04/09/2008 1:29:31 PM PDT by Bahbah (Typical white person)
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To: decimon

Saber-toothed tigers..........San Francisco?????? Hold the phone, they may have something here.


7 posted on 04/09/2008 1:33:11 PM PDT by USMCGunnut (Be polite, be professional....but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: USMCGunnut
Saber-toothed tigers.....

Maybe not saber-toothed but those are some impressive choppers in the top picture.

8 posted on 04/09/2008 1:36:17 PM PDT by decimon
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To: decimon
Oh no, I was referring to Sabre-tooth DNA and modern tigers to bring back the species and then re-introduce them to select old stomping grounds......such as San Fran.

and in reply to your original post, no need to consult the locals. “Animals are people too” and all that.

Just a macabre fantasy I guess.

9 posted on 04/09/2008 1:41:02 PM PDT by USMCGunnut (Be polite, be professional....but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: decimon; USMCGunnut
USMCGunnut said: Saber-toothed tigers.....

decimon said: Maybe not saber-toothed but those are some impressive choppers in the top picture.

I believe USMCGunnut was saying restoring Saber-tooths to their former range in SF might not be such a bad idea if it could be done:). I happen to agree. A few Mammoths and Cave Bears might also be considered.

10 posted on 04/09/2008 1:41:39 PM PDT by calex59
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To: calex59
I believe USMCGunnut was saying restoring Saber-tooths to their former range in SF might not be such a bad idea if it could be done:). I happen to agree. A few Mammoths and Cave Bears might also be considered.

C'mon, do you really want to see those riding floats in leather speedos?

11 posted on 04/09/2008 1:50:52 PM PDT by decimon
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To: USMCGunnut

They want to restore nature, predators and all. And they have stated that killing animals is wrong.


12 posted on 04/09/2008 1:53:38 PM PDT by tbw2 ("Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell" by Tamara Wilhite - on amazon.com)
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To: tbw2

“They want to restore nature, predators and all. And they have stated that killing animals is wrong.”

Guess they missed Jurrasic Park : ) Good thing I have some appropriate calibers to deal with those.


13 posted on 04/09/2008 2:37:39 PM PDT by USMCGunnut (Be polite, be professional....but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.)
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To: The Spirit Of Allegiance; blam; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; ...

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Thanks Blam.

I'm sure the world is *littered* with Barbary Lions surviving in captivity.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

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14 posted on 04/09/2008 9:30:23 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: SunkenCiv; blam; DaveLoneRanger; wagglebee; neverdem; shrinkermd

All that work to salvage a subspecies surely isn’t random.

And yet some preach that everything came to be without intelligent design.

Somebody’s lion, indeed.


15 posted on 04/09/2008 9:40:37 PM PDT by The Spirit Of Allegiance (Public Employees: Honor Your Oaths! Defend the Constitution from Enemies--Foreign and Domestic!)
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To: blam

If these dark-maned lions died out in 1922, where did we get colored pictures of them?


16 posted on 04/09/2008 10:14:46 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: blam

And Sabre toothed tigers are not a good idea for San Francisco — they shoot tigers there...;~)


17 posted on 04/09/2008 10:17:04 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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