A closer look at lion evolution offers hope for saving the big cats

A closer look at lion evolution offers hope for saving the big cats

First full-genome lion family tree

Geneticists have reconstructed the relationships of 20 lions, including several extinct ones, by sequencing their genomes. The results support the idea that lions migrated out of Africa, like humans did. Researchers took samples from both living and dead animals, including two 30,000-year-old cave lions (Panthera leo spelaea) preserved in permafrost in Siberia and Canada’s Yukon territory. The findings reveal details about how lions took over the world — they were once the most globally widespread mammal species — and where genetic diversity has been quashed by shrinking populations.

National Geographic | 4 min readSource: PNAS paper