Asian lion of India

1. Wild Asian Lion of India (Series: XI d)
Tusar Kanti Ghosal M.Sc Ph.D Email: drtkghosal@gmail.com
Dated: 20.11.2018

2. • lioness
male and female
Cub
Lioness
Asian lion

3. Common Name: Asian lion or Indian lion or Persian lion
Scientific Name: Panthera leo Linn. 1758
Trinomial Name: Panthera leo leo Linn. 1758
Bengali Name : Singha
Hindi: Sher, Untia bagh (Camel tiger)
Gujarati: Sinh, Sawaj, Hawaj

4. Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chardata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. leo
Subspecies: P. l. leo
Synonyms
P. l. persica (Johann Nepomuk Meyer, 1826)
P. l. asiaticus (Brehm, 1829)
P. l. bengalensis (Bennett, 1829)
P. l. indica (Smee, 1833)
P. l. goojratensis (de Blainville, 1843)

5. IUCN Red List: Endangered
Panthera leo was included on CITES Appendix I,
and is fully protected in India
Endangered under Schedule I of the Wildlife
Protection Act (1972) of India.
The Asiatic lion was first described 1826 by the Austrian zoologist Johann N.
Meyer who named it Felis leo persicus
Distribution: it occurred in eastern Turkey, Iran, Mesoptamia and from east of
the Indus river to Bengal and Narmada river in Central India.

7. The Asiatic lion is one of the 5 big cat species found in India, apart
from Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Snow leopard
and Clouded leopard.
Indian leopard Panthera tigris tigris
Neofelis nebulosaPanthera uncia

8. Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor),
Chital (Axis axis),
Chosingha (Tetracerus quadricornis),
Chinkara (Gazella bennetii),
Wild boar (Sus scrofa),
Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus),
Porcurpine (Hystrix indica),
Common langur (Semnopithecus entellus),
Rufus tailed hare (Lepus nigricollis ruficaudata)
and Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)

9. Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) Chital (Axis axis)
Sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)

10. REFERENCES
Kinnear, N. B. (1920). The past and present distribution of the lion in
south eastern Asia.. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 27:
34–39.
Pocock, R. I. (1939). Pantehera leo. The fauna of British India, including
Ceylonand Burma. Mammalia – Volume I. London: Taylor and Francis
Ltd. pp. 212–222.
Dutta, A. K. (1976). "Occurrence of fossil lion and spotted hyena from
Pleistocene deposits of Susunia, Bankura District, West
Bengal". Journal of the Geological Society of India. 17 (3): 386–391.
Kaushik, H. (2017). Lion population roars to 650 in Gujarat forests. The
Times of India. Retrieved 9 August2017.
Singh, A.P. (2017). "The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica): 50 Years
Journey for Conservation of an Endangered Carnivore and its Habitat
in GIR Protected Area, Gujarat, India". Indian Forester. 143 (10): 993–
1003.