Scientists Say Skulls Found in London Belong to Lions From Africa

Two medieval skulls found in the Tower of London belong to lions introduced from North Africa, British scientists revealed on Tuesday.

DNA analysis of the skulls of two Barbary lions that boasted giant manes showed they were brought to the London capital nearly 1,000 years ago.

The two skulls were recovered from during excavations in 1930s and were radio-carbon dated to AD 1280-1383 and AD 1420-1480.

The rare breed was slaughtered to the brink of extinction last century, and only 40 remain in captivity globally.

The lions are thought to have been brought to the English capital for the king of England’s private collection of exotic animals, known as the Royal Menagerie.

They were the first lion remains discovered in England since the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, the scientists said.

“Lions are very charismatic large cats that have been imported into Europe for various purposes since early historic times,” said Richard Sabin, curator of mammals at the UK’s Natural History Museum (NHM).

“We’ve not known until now the exact origin of the animals but our results confirm that lions found during excavations originated in Africa,” he said.

“Although we have one of the best animal collections in the world at the NHM, few remains survive of the Royal Menagerie”.

Source African Press Agency

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