Extinct Lion and Tiger Species

Cape Lion - Panthera leo melanochaitus

Cape Lions ranged along the Cape of Africa on the southern tip of the continent. The Cape Lion was not the only subspecies living in South Africa, and its exact range is unclear. Its stronghold was Cape Province and around Capetown. The last Cape Lion seen in Cape Province was killed in 1858, but the last of the species was hunted down in Natal by one General Bisset in 1865.

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Scientific Name: Panthera leo melanochaitus

Cape Lion
Cape Lion

Range: (formerly) Cape of Africa, Cape Province, South Africa
Average Weight:
Female: 65-80 kg (325-425 pounds)
Male: 90-100kg (425-500 pounds)
Length:
Female: 2.13m - 2.74m (7'-9')
Male: 2.74m - 3.35m (9'-11')
Diet: All lions are carnivorous. Lion prey consists mostly of pigs, deer, antelope, buffalo and other ungulates being large and small hooved mammals.
Gestation Period: 100-110 Days (Averaging 103 Days)
Cub Maturity: 18 months - 2 Years
Cubs Per Litter: (Usually 2-6 cubs) Cubs are born blind and weigh 2-3 pounds.
Lifespan: Lions live for approximately 15 Years
Predators: Unknown, Man
Social Structure: Solitary (except during Mating Season)
Territory Size: Southern Cape of Africa. Primarily Cape Province, South Africa. Lions occur naturally today in the wild only throughout the plains of sub-Saharan Africa.
Conservation Status: The Cape Lion has been extinct since the 1860's.

Lions are currently protected under Appendix II of CITES, Endangered
Species Act.