Berberian Lev (lat. Panthera Leo LEO) – This is one of the extinct subspecies of lions. The main distribution was in North Africa and today it is only known that the animal finally died out a couple of hundred years ago. There are currently some individuals who are somehow similar to the Berberian lions, but they are not them. Probably they are ordinary descendants who adopted most of the features of their ancestors.
Appearance
A distinctive feature of this species from others was a size that significantly exceeded everyone else. The length of their trunk could reach three and a half meters, and the weight exceeded two hundred kilograms. The females were slightly less, thereby resembled Kapsky lions. In addition, a thick mane of black color, which went far by the shoulders and hung below on the stomach, as if forming a beard – Another sign of this type. Some collectible copies of stuffed animals, which are probably still preserved among some lovers of exotic, show that the color of their wool could vary and be even orange. For a long time, people thought that the dimensions of their mane were precisely a distinctive feature of the appearance, but in fact, scientists noticed that such a length appeared due to low temperatures, and in other places it was quite ordinary, like most other animals from this Family.
The reasons for the disappearance
According to the currently known information, this species was quite ancient and met in the days of the ancient Romans. They often used Berberian lions in the arena during amusement battles, for example, against Turan tigers, which also died out. People chose these animals because of their massive size, as well as an epic appearance.
The main reason for the disappearance was the development of firearms, which not only became more deadly, but also had more widespread among people. In addition, so many people for the sake of entertainment arranged a fullfledged hunt for representatives of this species, since they had fun to observe as such a huge animal that everyone was afraid of – Runs off with a tail. Due to such human fun, many species suffered, and the Berberian lion was no exception. The last individual was destroyed on the territory of the Atlas mountains in 1922, and its carcass was lying in the mountains of corpses of other animals.
The same fate, like Lviv, overtook the Atlasian bear and a tiger who lived nearby. All these three animals were distinguished by their huge appearance, as well as the massiveness of the woolen cover, and all these species were destroyed only by a man who had nothing to do, and he decided to shoot. In fact, it is even insulting to realize that there could now have many animals that even judging by the stories could hit. Yes, now there are also unusual views that differ from others. And there are not so few of them, but still, those animals that have disappeared due to the insatitude of a person, alas, can no longer be returned. And the reason for everything – Greed and mania of greatness, because before people could not resist the monsters of fauna, and thanks to firearms, they repaid the animals in full.
