Marosi , or the spotted lion , is supposedly existing or existing, but extinct by now, the subspecies of the lion , who lived in Africa, also sometimes described as a theoretically possible natural hybrid of the lion and leopard ( leopon , all known individuals were born in captivity). The size is close to the leopard, on the body has spots and a barely noticeable mane. According to reports, he lived in the mountains, and not in the savannah, in contrast to the “ordinary” lion.
One of the corpses of animals killed by Trent, was practically not damaged and has been preserved to this day. Cryptozoologist Bernard Aivelmans in 1955 proposed recognizing the existence of a subspecies under the name Leo maculatus , but this was not done.
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Opening
In 1931, Kenyan farmer Michael Trent in the mountains of Aberder at an altitude of 3000 m shot two unusual lions. They looked strange like a leopard, but they were not leopards. Then the first description of the appearance of the marozi appeared, including the mention of spots on his body. This is the first documented report of a European meeting with this creature, although tales of such meetings themselves have taken place since at least 1904.
Two years later, in 1933, explorer Kenneth Gandar-Dover went to the mountains to find and kill several specimens of this creature there. He returned empty-handed, finding only three chains of unusual traces. Subsequently, he learned that such an “unusual lion” is often seen by the inhabitants of Ethiopia, Rwanda and Uganda. The urban population even named them in their own way: in Ethiopia - “abasambo”, in Rwanda - “ikimizi” and “ntararago” - in Uganda. The captain of nature protection Dent in the mountains of Aberdar was seen four such lions at an altitude of 3 thousand meters. Hamilton Snowball saw a pair of similar lions on the Kinangop plateau at an altitude of 3,500 m. He tried to shoot them, but they allegedly managed to leave.
Possible explanations
- Marosi is actually a natural hybrid of a leopard and a lion. The creation of such a hybrid in captivity is really possible, albeit in rare cases, and the appearance of the hybrids obtained is very similar to the description of marozi. However, there is not a single known case of the birth of such hybrids in the wild, where the lion and leopard lead a different lifestyle and are natural enemies.
- Marosi is a lion with a genetic abnormality (for example, with spots that have not disappeared since childhood). Feline genetic mutations resulting from the action of recessive genes as a result of inbreeding - crossbreeding of closely related individuals - are not uncommon: just remember the panther (black leopard), white tigers, white lions, “royal cheetahs” and so on. The genetic mutation could theoretically well lead to the fact that the spots that are present on the skin of lion remained in individual lions until adolescence or even adulthood. However, this theory does not explain the size of marozi, which is significantly smaller than that of a lion, and the fact that, according to eyewitnesses, it lives in a mountainous woodland, and not in a savannah, in contrast to the “ordinary” lion. It is also noteworthy that the Aberder region is known as the habitat of many endemic species and subspecies.
- Marosi is a “half-adult” lion. According to this - the most "realistic" theory, the small size, not very long mane and spots on the body can mean just a very young lion, for some reason expelled from its pride. However, according to the description, the marozi in its appearance still doesn’t look much like a young lion, and besides, it’s again not clear what could make such an exile settle in the mountains, and not in the savannah.
- Marosi is a prehistoric lion who managed to survive until the 20th century. The theory belongs to the category of purely cryptozoological .
- Marosi is a new taxon - not yet an open species or subspecies of a lion. The answer to the question of whether it is so or not can be given only by studying the DNA of skin samples from an animal shot by Trent, but for some reason it has not been carried out so far.
Description
The study of the corpse of the beast shot by Trent, was carried out until 1937 inclusive. Parts of the specimen are currently kept at the Museum of Natural History in London. The physical characteristics of the animal are as follows:
- Body length - 1.6 m (without tail).
- The tail length is 84 cm.
- From head to tail, thus, 2.44 m.
- The length of mane hair is a maximum of 12 cm.
- Diameter of the largest spots: 85 by 45 or 65 by 65 mm.
The sex of the animal is male. The estimated age at the time of death is 3 years (and about 1 year before full maturity). The spots are randomly located on the sides, shoulders and hips; on the spine are absent, on the legs and abdominal cavity - on the contrary, very large. The color of the sides is grayish-brown, the center of the trunk is darker. The lower abdomen is a paler, earthy color. The hind legs have less blood discharge than the forelegs.
In addition, the scientists have or had a skull at their disposal, which is not related to Trent’s “trophy”, but which, presumably, also belongs to Marozi. Its lower jaw is missing, but the teeth of the upper are preserved all to one. The sex of the animal is unknown. However, it is known for certain that this skull does not belong to an adult animal, since the fontanelles on it are not closed.
Disappearance
There have been no new reports of marozi in East Africa since the 1930s, and it is believed that the lion, even if it existed, has long died out. However, some researchers are still searching for him in Africa, as from a number of other regions such reports seem to continue to come. It should be noted that science has never recognized the existence of marozi as unconditionally proven.