Places to visit30 May 20215 min read← All articles

Atlas lion Morocco

The Atlas Lions of Morocco are the fiercest and largest of all lion subspecies. Males weigh more than 300 kg and females more than 200 kg. It is the second-largest feline in the world, second only to the Siberian tiger. The main characteristic of males is their black mane, which covers a large part of their body.

The last Atlas lion in the wild was killed in 1922 in Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains. There are lions scattered in various zoos around the world, many of them descendants of the Atlas lions. There is a project called “Atlas Lion Project”. It plans to reproduce through a DNA selection to recreate the Atlas lions, to reintroduce them into the wild in a protected natural park.

Travel to discover more about the Berber Lions

Our Morocco desert tours are the chance to discover more about the Atlas Lions of Morocco. We offer various tours from different places in the kingdom. Contact us for more information!

Features of the Atlas lion in Morocco

Weighing from 160 to 250 kg in males, in very rare cases up to 270 kg, and from 100 to 170 kg in females, the Barbary lion, along with the extinct Cap lion, was the largest modern subspecies of lion. Its most notable distinction was its particularly thick dark mane, which went far beyond the shoulders and hung down on its belly.

History and distribution

Historically, the Berber Atlas lions were living on the entire African continent north of the Sahara, especially in Morocco. The ancient Romans often used it in arenas during entertainment battles against the Turan tiger, which is also now extinct. extinct in North Africa in the early 18th century, remaining only in a small area in the northwest. The proliferation of firearms and a deliberate policy of extermination were the reasons why the population has also declined sharply in this region. They took the first picture of the Berber lion in 1922 in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. A similar fate befell other large North African carnivores. The Berber leopard became extremely rare and the atlas bear became completely extinct.

Character and lifestyle peculiarities of Atlas lion in Morocco

Firstly, the Berber Atlas lion was not famous for the formation of large herds; every pride was led by an experienced and wise lioness; they often lived and hunted alone or formed small groups of 35 individuals. The cubs lived with their mother until they were two years old, then separated and led a life of their own. The groups consisted mainly of females who were related to each other. Oftentimes, males and females only congregate in the same territory for breeding purposes during the mating season.

Each group of animals or a single lion occupies a specific territory that the outsiders protect carefully. Males often defended their right to occupy a certain territory by fighting or frightening each other with loud roars. the herd stayed there forever. Females who had not yet reached puberty shared the care of their cubs with adult lionesses and taught them to hunt.

Moreover, the males gave it up with puberty and led an independent life, more rarely they combined with other lions of the same age, their task was the continuation of the species, often they fought bitterly fights for supremacy in the pack. The new, stronger, and younger male destroyed all of the descendants of the previous leader to create his own.

It was characteristic of males to mark their habitat by spraying urine; females were not characteristic of such manners; Atlas lions, like other representatives of prey cats, were excellent at communicating with one another. Lions that reach the age of one year learn to growl and make sounds of different tones.

In females, this ability manifested itself much later. They also used direct contact, touch, to communicate. Lions were more tolerant towards female lions.