Cave Lions and Their Mane: An Examination of Northern European Cave Art

The depiction of lion faces in Northern European cave art, particularly from the Upper Paleolithic period, raises intriguing questions about the artists' intentions and the characteristics of the animals they were representing. This article delves into the possible reasons why some lions in cave art lack manes, exploring the differences between cave lions and modern lions, and the potential artistic and cultural reasons behind these depictions.

The Cave Lion vs. Modern Lions

The extinct cave lion, Panthera spelaea, which lived during the Pleistocene epoch, is believed to have been a distinct species from modern lions, Panthera leo. While modern male lions are known for their prominent manes, cave lions may not have had the same mane structure or may have had significantly less pronounced manes. Some paleontological evidence suggests that cave lions might have been more similar to modern lionesses in terms of fur and physical appearance, which could explain the absence of manes in cave art.

Artistic Focus and Interpretation

The absence of manes in the artwork could also reflect the artists' stylistic choices or their focus on certain aspects of the animals. The artists might have prioritized features such as the facial structure or the body form rather than specific details like manes. It's also possible that the artists were more interested in the symbolic or spiritual significance of the lion as a powerful predator rather than its physical characteristics. Additionally, it's worth considering that the artists may have been depicting lionesses which do not have manes. Lionesses are known for their hunting prowess and could have held particular significance in the cultural context of the time.

Maneless Male Lions in Africa

While the cave lions of Northern Europe likely lacked manes, 'maneless male lions' do occasionally appear even in Africa. The question arises whether this is because the artists considered long hair on lion images too 'manestream' or if the absence of manes in cave art reflects the physical characteristics of the cave lions themselves. Some cave paintings do appear to depict males, such as the famous Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave, but without conclusive evidence, this remains speculative. Many modern male lions are, in fact, maneless, but one would expect at least one maned one among the many paintings.

Reasons for Maneless Male Lions

Several hypotheses have been proposed for the existence of maneless male lions in Africa. These include:

Adaptation to hot climate: A shaggy mane is not ideal in blistering heat. Research suggests a positive correlation between the extent of the mane and local climate. Adaptation to dense thicket: In thorny bush regions like Kenya's Tsavo or Samburu, a great big mane would be a hindrance. Side-effect of high testosterone: Researchers found that Tsavo's maneless males controlled large groups of females, suggesting an alternative explanation for manes beyond sexual selection.

When it comes to Eurasian cave lions, the hot climate is definitely out of the question. The Earth was colder than it had been in tens of millions of years when the Chauvet paintings were made. Similarly, dense vegetation zones like open steppe and tundra grasslands in Europe do not support the second hypothesis. Therefore, the last remaining explanation is that when the ancestors of the cave lion diverged from the rest of Panthera leo around 700,000 years ago, all male lions were maneless, and manes only evolved in the last few hundred thousand years.

This theory is supported by the fact that the two extant subspecies of lion, P. l. leo (west African lions) and P. l. melanochaita (Asiatic lions), generally have less developed manes compared to the more lusciously maned ones of Southern and East Africa.

To summarize, the lack of manes in Northern European cave art could be attributed to the physical characteristics of the cave lions themselves, the artistic choices made by prehistoric artists, or a combination of both. The theory that all male lions of the cave lion ancestor were initially maneless, with manes evolving much later, provides a compelling explanation that aligns with the observations of modern lions.