File talk:Lions du Cap.JPG
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Cape lions or Barbary lions?
The label in the museum says, they are Cape lions.... why was the description changed?--Altaileopard (talk) 20:40, 4 September 2012 (UTC)
- It was changed because its Wikimedia Commons category said 'Panthera leo leo' and other photos also say 'Panthera leo leo' (see http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panthera_leo_leo_01_by_Line1.JPG and http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panthera_leo_leo_01_by_Line1.JPG), which is the scientific name of the Barbary lion. And I know the Paris museum has Barbary lions remains as my website says (I do not say it exhibits these remains or that they are stuffed specimens). But I guess too quickly, without searching the history. However, after your e-mail and seeing that the category was changed by Funkmonk from 'Panthera leo melanochaita' into Panthera leo leo' I was not that sure anymore. So I did a quick online search.
- The article Barnett, R., N. Yamaguchi, B. Shapiro and V. Nijman 2007. Using ancient DNA techniques to identify the origin of unprovenanced museum specimens as illustrated by the identification of a 19th century lion from Amsterdam. Contributions to Zoology 76(2):87-94 (http://www.dur.ac.uk/greger.larson/DEADlab/Publications_files/Barnett_ContZooAmsterdam.pdf) mentions a male specimen of the Cape lion from the Paris museum. So I guess the male in your photo is indeed a Cape lion as you said.
- I found also a pdf from the museum itself (http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/dossEnseignant/14829_FICHE-GGE-niveau2.pdf) and it says the following: "Quelques spécimens prestigieux des collections historiques du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle : cerf de Schomburgk, hippotrague bleu, lion du Cap et lion de Barbarie, couagga, diverses plantes (Silphium, Franklinia)." Translated in English: "Some prestigious specimens from the historical collections of the National Museum of Natural History: Schomburgk deer, blue antelope antelope, Cape lion and Barbary lion, quagga, various plants (Silphium, Franklinia)." So they have a specimen of both! Is it possible that you missed the label of the female specimen? Is it possible that she is a Barbary lion? Thus a male Cape lion and a female Barbary lion. Maybe that caused the confusion. Peter Maas\talk 16:07, 22 September 2012 (UTC)
