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Subject: The Lions of Tsavo From: Zoni posted Mon, Nov 2 2009, 4:36pm  A recent study was done on the lions of Tsavo, who notoriously killed so many people back in 1898. Col. Patterson's account of the incident was recorded in his private journal, published as The Man Eaters of Tsavo, and later adapted to the film The Ghost and the Darkness. One of the things I find interesting is the lions themselves. Tsavo lions are interesting to me due to the fact that they appear to be built a bit differently than typical African lions. The males lack manes, as well. And, to my eyes, the two preserved Tsavo lions (the two from the Patterson incident) in the Chicago Field Museum bear only a vague resemblance to your average lion. I'm well aware that part of that is the taxidermy, but I have always wondered - has there ever been any testing done to see whether the Tsavo lions might be a separate species? I've read a couple of cryptozoological accounts of big cats in Africa that don't match your average lion and which sound a lot like Tsavo lions, outside of the Tsavo's normal range. Perhaps this is the explanation? Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Gerry Bacon posted Mon, Nov 2 2009, 7:37pm  I don't think the Tsavo lions were thought to be a separate species, but it seems to me that there was something about the habitat there that caused them to behave slightly different. Unfortunately, I can not remember where I heard or read it. Maybe a Google search could help you out. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: kittenz posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 12:56pm  One theory that has been advanced is that the Tsavo region is so barren and arid that much of the water supply is brackish from accumulated alkaline deposits, and that that causes behavioral changes in the lions of the region. A similar suggestion has been put forth about the Sunderbans region of India: that all the water is brackish, salty water and that the alkalinity causes some sort of behavioral changes that induce preadtion on humans by healthy tigers. I don't buy it for either region though. I think the predation on humans is cultural in the sense that lions (and tigers too) learn such behavior from others of their kind. They are brought up to it. Whether the alkaline water causes lack of manes, I doubt also. At various points in history and prehistory, other maneless types of lions have existed. One possibility is that, with the intense hunting of lions for trophies over the last century and a half, many of the males with large manes were killed for trophies, leaving sparser-maned males more opportunity to reproduce. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: kittenz posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 12:58pm  There was a really good National Geographic magazine article on the lions of Tsavo not too long ago, maybe last summer? or thereabout Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: badger man posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 6:50pm  I read an article (I forget where) that said that the lions are maneless because the Tsavo region is so hot and dry. Having a mane would be like wearing a hat and scarf. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Andromache posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 6:55pm  I think that your poacher-enabled selection theory hits the nail pretty square on the head.Very probable. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: KodiakKeith posted Mon, Nov 2 2009, 7:57pm  I loved that movie! The tsavo area is thousands of square miles of dense thorn brush, so the lions manes simply get chewed off. Such an area might also favor smaller animals which I seem to recall was the case with these two lions. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: MJLehde posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 9:35am  The land around Tsavo is filled with thick thorn bushes and I've read that some think the reason that the lions of Tsavo have no manes is that they would make moving through the thickets much mre difficult. Over time the theory goes the lions with the smaller manes and finally no maes would be more likely to prosper and reproduce. As for the size of the lions, although the mounted Tsavo lions in the Field Museum appear rather small in life they were actually larger, longer and heavier, than average. One of the reasons they appear so different from other mounted lions is that they had been rugs while in Patterson's possession and the Field Museum had to mount the rugs on frames. The skulls of the lions, complete with bullet damage, are also in the museum and on dislpay. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: the_larynx_of_gordon_lightfoot posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 5:32pm  I remember the newer version of "In Search Of" with Mitch Pileggi had an episode on the Tsavo Lions and proposed they were a different species of lion (they said the lions were bigger and had different skull characteristics than the average African Lion), but I don't believe this to be true. The National Geographic special on the Tsavo Lions concluded that one (maybe both, I don't recall now) of the lions had abscessed teeth that were causing them pain and rendering them unable to chase down their normal pray of gazelle and the like. Their studies also showed them to be normal lions, if my memory is correct. As the previous posters said, their lack of manes is due to local environmental circumstances, like the thick brush. BTW, I agree that it was an amazing movie...and 35 people is still A LOT of dead people! Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Draugluin posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 9:41pm  I've seen the Tsavo lions a couple times while at the Field Museum, it's hard to even guess what their real size might have been because Patterson had them turned into rugs. The museum admitted to having to scale them down a bit because of thin patches in the pelts and there is no knowing how much they'd been previously trimmed by Patterson. As for why they did it I find it much more likely that prey depletion by the influx of humans in the region as well as a possible outbreak of rinderpest disease were the cause of their attacks than a tooth problem was. The claim that they only ate 35 people is wrong too, not only did slave caravans routinely dump their dead all over that area but the Hindu practice of abbreviated cremation could have given them many more uncounted people to dine on. If you want to see a true monster of a lion at the Field Museum go to the bottom floor and tucked behind one of the stair cases is the man-eater of Mfuwe. Strangely enough he was also a maneless lion but his pelt is (mostly) intact and he is 5 foot tall and 10.5 feet long. A photo I took of the Tsavo man-eaters. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: the_larynx_of_gordon_lightfoot posted Wed, Nov 4 2009, 1:06am  Thank you Draugulin! That is a great photo of the Tsavo Lions! It's been probably thirty years since I've been to Chicago and I need to go back to the museum! Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Draugluin posted Wed, Nov 4 2009, 1:13am  I wish I could have gotten a photo of the skulls as well but that was the best shot I could get at the time. They've moved the lions to the extreme back of the animal displays and they had the area roped off for some party or conference that was happening. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: sevenclans posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 11:07pm  I would like to mention two conditions that might help explain maneless man-eating lions. First manelessness can indicate low testosterone levels. Low testosterone levels can cause an animal to mature more slowly which could explain the Tsvo lion’s large size. Secondly, when a dominant lion is defeated for control of a pride, the lion’s mane will sometimes fall out due to the stress. A male lion with no lioness to hunt for them might start to prey on people. Either of these conditions could be a factor in these cases. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: PaleoChick posted Wed, Nov 4 2009, 12:17pm  Sevenclans is right about the low testosterone levels. And someone mentioned above about hunting. Hunting only males with large manes is a form of artificial selection causing evolution to occur and produce males with no manes because they get to reproduce more. Males with no manes would not happen naturally, even with the hot climate. No matter how well suited to the environment an animal is, it is completely worthless if the animal doesn't reproduce. Studies have shown female lions are attracted to males with thick manes, even though its not the best for hot climates, because thick manes are a sign of good health and testosterone. A male could stress, like sevenclan said, and cause hair loss and general unhealthiness. So a combination of hunting caused artificial selection, and low testosterone levels decreasing the thickness of the mane causing stress in turn causing hair loss because the male wouldn't have a mate to reproduce with and to hunt for him, could be the reason for absent manes in man eaters in my opinion. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Draugluin posted Wed, Nov 4 2009, 11:07pm  Science has proven no such thing! In 2002 scientists from the field museum went to Tsavo to study the pack dynamics of maneless lions and found that it in no way affects their attraction from females. By contrast the harems of Tsavo lions are larger than those of their maned Serengeti brothers with one male ruling a pack of 7-8 females as opposed to 2-4 males ruling a pack of 6-7 females. Here's the article if you wish to read it. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: PaleoChick posted Fri, Nov 6 2009, 12:09pm  I have heard that multiple times on programs on Discovery and National Geographic. And if females aren't attracted to males with large manes, then how did they come to exist? They are not useful in the environment of which they live, they would have no reason at all to develop them, other than through sexual selection. Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Draugluin posted Fri, Nov 6 2009, 4:40pm  Protection during fights perhaps? Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: PaleoChick posted Sat, Nov 7 2009, 7:27pm  Nope "We addressed our hypotheses by combing the records for descriptions of injuries and eliminating those wounds that were not inflicted by other lions. From these observations we created a database that included the locations and survival rates for wounds to males, females and subadult lions. These data did not support the mane-as-shield hypothesis. Wounds to the mane area were no more frequent or lethal than those to other parts of the body. The observations were true not only for adult males but also for females and subadults, which lack manes. It seems that a lion’s teeth provide more than enough incentive to avoid tangling with the front end." My Source http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/~dave/courses/2005/spring/204/other/Lion %27sMane.pdf Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: The Tempest posted Tue, Nov 3 2009, 11:39pm  Here is the link to Col. Patterson's book at Project Gutenberg, http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3810 I have an exclusive old issue of National Geogrpahic "Adventure" magazine on Man Eaters of Tsavo with good material and real pics Tempest Subject: Re: The Lions of Tsavo From: Ego posted Thu, Nov 5 2009, 1:24pm  It has also been reported that these lions were 'brothers' & actually sexually active with each other ! Although i have not read any references as to how this was observed or ascertained...

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