Did Britain Ever have Lions? Would Be Nice Theres Longleat Lions
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Search for Internet image results for LIONS At Sunset & Sunrise
The answer is we did, until really very recently. Cave lions died out in the UK around 12 to 14,000 years ago, a relative blink of the eye in evolutionary terms and their extinction coincides with the point humans were getting into farming as the ice retreated from northern hemispheres.
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Tonight's Lost Land of the Tiger (BBC1) treats us to the discovery of a previously unknown population of tigers at high altitudes in Bhutan, but why don't we have any lions or tigers in the UK? The answer is we did, until really very recently.
Cave lions died out in the UK around 12 to 14,000 years ago, a relative blink of the eye in evolutionary terms and their extinction coincides with the point humans were getting into farming as the ice retreated from northern hemispheres.
The earliest homo sapien fossils date from around 200,000 years ago, but our ancestors were making fire and hunting animals some 1.5 million years ago, so we lived alongside lions in Europe for quite some time and if circumstances had been different for the cave lion a trip to the high street might be a whole different affair.
From skeletons found across Europe, we know these lions were up to 25 per cent bigger than a lion you might see in Kenya and thanks to primitive man's desire to decorate his caves, we have a pretty decent idea what they looked like. Males had little or no mane, their tails were tufted and bodies had faint stripes.
They lived in prides, they hunted northern Europe's mega fauna (deer, elk, bison, horses) and while genetically they are considered a separate sub species, if you found one going through your bins, you'd be in no doubt what you were looking at.
Bad to be big
So what happened to the cave lion? As ice retreated from the northern hemispheres the quaternary extinction event took place but the jury is out as to what caused it. One thing is for sure, it was a bad time to be a big mammal. The woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, Irish elk, scimitar cat, cave bear, cave hyena and the steppe bison all went extinct from northern Europe during this time. This era also saw the end of Neanderthal man.
There are 2 main theories (and a few, less well supported ones), behind the quaternary extinction. Firstly, it was us. We were certainly there at the time and the cave lion's extinction coincides with the start of our technological revolution. Also cave art and archaeological digs show that our ancestors hunted, or at least defended themselves from lions in Europe, and used their bones. However while these ancestors were developing fast, could they have wiped out quite so many species?
The other main theory is climate change. Temperatures rose by around 6C in 5000 years and leaving many large animals living in rapidly changing environments, still wearing their best winter coats.
Such a shame as being stalked by 600lbs of cave lion would certainly liven up a trip to the recycling centre.
What do the 3 lions stand for?
It was King Henry II who first used three lions on a red background, adding a lion to William the Conqueror's two when he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, probably to represent his marriage into that family. The three lions shield can be seen today on the England football team kit and is recognised around the world.
Why is Three Lions so popular?
Why Did Three Lions Become So Popular? As Broudie says, the song 3 LIONS ITS COMING HOME is about “always believing” in your team, which captured the optimistic mood of the tournament. It was the big summer of Britpop, with
Oasis playing Knebworth that August and a general feeling of national pride
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