Lion  (Panthera leo)

Formerly ranging throughout Eurasia and Africa (8) (9), lions are now found only in sub-Saharan Africa, and a small isolated population of Asiatic lions (P. l. persica) remains in the Gir Forest in western India (1), where a 2005 census reported just 359 lions (8).

Lions have a broad habitat tolerance, ranging from the savannah woodlands of East Africa to the sands of the Kalahari Desert (2). However, thick brush, scrub, and grass complexes appear to be optimal habitats in providing cover for hunting and denning. Lions have also been recorded to venture high into the mountains of East Africa, up to 4,240 m in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains (4).