African and Asian Lions (Panthera leo) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Historic distribution

• Nearly worldwide distribution of lion-like felids during the Late Pleistocene (Barnett et al. 2014)
  • Lived on most continents
    • Except Australia, Antarctica, and Oceania
  • Africa through northern Eurasia
  • Southwest Asia
  • North America
    • Extending into portions of Central America
• No other large land mammal has had such a comparatively large and contiguous range, except modern humans (Patterson et al. 2004; Yamaguchi et al. 2004).
• Changes in climate impacted lion distribution in Africa
  • Today’s geophylogenies likely influenced by differences in climate history between West/Central Africa and southern/East Africa (Bertola et al. 2011)
    • Middle Pleistocene: lions widespread over Africa (Barnett et al. 2014)
      • Occupied savanna and scrub-woodland
    • Holocene glacial periods: north Central Africa becomes hyperarid (Bertola et al. 2011)
      • Distinct genetic lineages may have developed
        • Observed in other African mammals (e.g., elephants)
• About 10,000 years ago: extinct in the Americas and northern Eurasia (Yamaguchi et al. 2004; West and Packer 2013)
• 1-3,000 years ago (Holocene): extinct in Europe (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009; West and Packer 2013)
• Last 150 years
  • Disappeared from most countries in North Africa through southwest Europe (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009)
  • North and central India following British conquest (Rangarajan 2013)
• Last 60 years
  • Disappeared from central Saharan Desert on edge of the Aïr Mountains (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009)
  • Last reports from Iran and other parts of the Middle East (West and Packer 2013)
• For detailed changes to recent historical range, see West and Packer (2013), p. 150-151

Present distribution

• Sub-Saharan Africa (West and Packer 2013; Bauer et al. 2016)
  • 27 countries, although populations often small and isolated
  • Most live in East and southern Africa
  • Extinct in North Africa
• Gujarat, India (Rangarajan 2013; Bauer et al. 2015)
  • Small and isolated population protected within and at the edges of Gir Forest National Park
• Lions occupy a mere 8% of their historic range (Bauer et al. 2016)
  • West African subpopulation down to ~1% of its historic range (Henschel et al. 2014)
    • Critically Endangered subpopulation
• Largely restricted to protected areas (West and Packer 2013; Peterson et al. 2014)
• Isolated populations, with limited migration across a wider landscape (Dolrenry et al. 2014)

Future distribution (Peterson et al. 2014)

• Large areas of southern and West African may become less suitable due to effects of climate change
• Increased temperatures and decreased rainfall projected, leading to:
  • Droughts
    • Declines in prey availability
    • Potential for increased human-lion conflicts
      • Decreased livestock survival
      • Pastoralists less tolerant of depredation by lions
  • Increased impact of pathogens and diseases

Lions in Africa: broad habitat tolerance

• Inhabit nearly all vegetation types (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009; Bauer et al. 2016)
• Except tropical rainforests and interior of the Sahara desert
• Optimal habitat (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009, and as noted)
• Vegetation
• Open woodlands
• Thick bush
• Scrub and grass
• Other requirements
• Shade in the heat of the day
• Ungulate prey
• E.g., African buffalo, antelopes, zebra, and wildebeest
• Enough cover to stalk and avoid detection by prey
• Cover for dens to hide newborn cubs (Schaller 1972)
• Common in semi-desert areas (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009)
• Kalahari regions of South Africa and Botswana (West and Packer 2013)
• Drinking water not essential
• Able to live on moisture from prey or plants (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009; Bauer et al. 2016)
• Will penetrate deep into desert, especially near water sources (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009)
• Wide elevation range
• Generally up to 4,000 m in Ethiopia (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009)
• Occasional records as high as 4,200-4,300 m (West and Packer 2013)
• Habitats not found in (Wilson and Mittermeier 2009; West and Packer 2013; Bauer et al. 2016)
• Tropical rainforest
• Interior of the Sahara Desert
• Dense lowland forests of West Africa and the Congo Basin

Lions in India: Gir Forest National Park

• Dry, deciduous forest (Bauer et al. 2016)
• Less than 1300 km² area
• Teak trees make up much replanted forest

African Lion Distribution.

Adapted from www.d-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here for detailed distribution (IUCN).