Transvaal lion

Transvaal lion
Transvaal lion at Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Transvaal lioness at Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Felidae
Genus:	Panthera
Species:	P. leo
Subspecies:	P. l. krugeri
Trinomial name
Panthera leo krugeri (Roberts, 1929)

The Transvaal lion (Panthera leo krugeri), also known as the Southeast African lion, is a subspecies of the lion that reportedly lives in Southern Africa, including Kruger National Park and Hlane Royal National Park. Kalahari lions may be either Panthera leo krugeri or Panthera leo bleyenberghi. It is named after the Transvaal region in South Africa.

A phylogeographic analysis based on sequences of lions from across their entire range indicates that Sub-Saharan African lions are phylogenetically basal to all modern lions. This suggests an African origin of the evolution of modern lions, with a probable center in Eastern–Southern Africa, from where lions migrated to West Africa, eastern North Africa and Asia. Modern lions are related to prehistoric cave lions, such as the Upper Pleistocene European cave lion.

According to recent genetic research, the extinct 'black-maned' Cape lion, formerly described as a separate subspecies, is not significantly different from other Southern African lions. Therefore, the Cape lion may have represented the southernmost population of the Transvaal lion, or it was closely related to Kalahari lions.

The male usually has a well-developed mane. Most of them are black-maned as well. Males are around 2.6–3.2 m (8.5–10.5 ft) long including the tail. Females are 2.35–2.75 m (7.7–9.0 ft). Generally, males weigh 150–250 kg (330–550 lb), while the females weigh 110–182 kg (243–401 lb). They have a shoulder height of 0.92–1.23 m (3.0–4.0 ft).

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