# What species of lion is mentioned in the Bible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 17, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253 "2015-05-17T18:12:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/1 "2015-05-17T18:12:47Z")
There are several references to lions, and I was curious what species would have been familiar to people at the time? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/2 "2015-05-17T18:22:06Z")
Probably the Persian iion/Asiatic lion It’s almost extinct now, only existing in a forest in western India, but until the 19th century, lived throughout India and also in Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria Turkey, and what’s now Israel. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/3 "2015-05-17T19:18:50Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Probably the Persian iion/Asiatic lion It’s almost extinct now, only existing in a forest in western India, but until the 19th century, lived throughout India and also in Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria Turkey, and what’s now Israel. Do they resemble the modern standard picture of a lion, with the males having a big shaggy mane? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/4 "2015-05-17T19:40:27Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Do they resemble the modern standard picture of a lion, with the males having a big shaggy mane? It’s [these guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic_lion), apparently. There are still a few in India, as **Captain Amazing** said. > [@Wiki link](#): > > Asiatic lions formerly occurred in Persia, Arabia, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Baluchistan They look pretty lion-y to me. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/5 "2015-05-17T19:45:32Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Probably the Persian iion/Asiatic lion It’s almost extinct now, only existing in a forest in western India, but until the 19th century, lived throughout India and also in Persia, Mesopotamia, Syria Turkey, and what’s now Israel. That would be a subspecies rather than a species, _Panthera leo persica_. It’s possible the lions of the Middle East could have belonged to another, now extinct, subspecies, the Mesopotamian Lion _P. l. mesopotamica_. It isn’t certain that this was actually a valid subspecies, however. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/6 "2015-05-17T19:50:35Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Do they resemble the modern standard picture of a lion, with the males having a big shaggy mane? The most striking difference from African Lions is that the [mane of the male often extends along the side of the body.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Panthera_leo_persica_male.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-species-of-lion-is-mentioned-in-the-bible/720253/7 "2015-05-18T07:28:47Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The most striking difference from African Lions is that the [mane of the male often extends along the side of the body.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Panthera_leo_persica_male.jpg) They must have interbred with buffaloes somewhere in their history. Or ate a lot of them.