Tsavo lion

Tsavo lions are a distinct variety of Masai lions (Panthera leo nubica) living around the Tsavo River in the Tsavo East National Park in Kenya. Tsavo males are notable for their lack of mane and smooth pelt, their size, and that they actively participate in hunting. Two Tsavo males have been known as man-eaters after an incident during the building of the Uganda Railway in the late 19th century.

Males of the Tsavo prides are usually larger than other male lions, and actively participate in hunting. Their prides are unique in that they frequently have only a single male lion, whereas most lion prides have two to eight (usually related) males. Tsavo prides also tend to be larger overall, with an average of seven to eight adult females in each group.

Tsavo male lions generally do not have a mane, though colouration and thickness may vary. There are several hypotheses as to why this is. One is that mane development is closely tied to climate because its presence significantly reduces heat loss. An alternative explanation is that manelessness is an adaptation to the thorny vegetation of the Tsavo area in which a mane might hinder hunting. Tsavo males may have heightened levels of testosterone, which could explain both the Tsavo lion's manelessness and its reputation for aggression. The weak or absent mane of Tsavo lions is a feature, which was characteristic also for the extinct lions of ancient Egypt and Nubia. Adult lion males in Egyptian art usually have no mane, but a ruff around the neck like a male tiger would.

Two of these lions are known as the Tsavo man-eaters; they attacked workers on the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898. The total number of people killed is unclear but it is stated there were 135 victims of these lions in less than a year before being found and killed by Colonel John Patterson.

As of 2006, there were an estimated 675 lions located in the Tsavo area, out of the 2,000 total in Kenya. Lions and their prey are officially protected in Tsavo, but they are regularly killed by members of the local population, with over 100 known lion killings between 2001 and 2006.

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