King of beasts

Lion Temporal range: Late Pliocene–Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
A male Southern African lion (P. l. melanochaita) photographed in the area of Okonjima, Namibia
A female lion photographed in Okonjima
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. leo
Binomial name
Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
see Subspecies P. l. leo (Sensu stricto) P. l. atrox P. l. europaea P. l. melanochaita (Sensu stricto) P. l. sinhaleyus P. l. spelaea P. l. vereshchagini
Distribution of Panthera leo in Africa and Eurasia, in the past and present.
Distribution of lions in India: The Gir Forest and surrounding areas in Gujarat comprise the last natural range of wild Asiatic lions.
Synonyms
Felis leo Linnaeus, 1758

P. l. atrox
P. l. europaea
P. l. melanochaita (Sensu stricto)
P. l. sinhaleyus
P. l. spelaea

Felis leo Linnaeus, 1758

The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the big cats in the Felidae family and a member of genus Panthera. It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as populations in African range countries declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes of concern. The West African lion population is listed as Critically Endangered since 2016. The only lion population in Asia survives in and around India's Gir Forest National Park and is listed as Endangered since 1986.