Maneless lion

[7] The Asiatic lion is often considered to have a weak mane compared to its cousins in Africa, due to the hot climate in Asia,[9] but this does not always apply.

The manes of most lions in ancient Greece and Asia Minor were also less developed and did not extend to below the belly, sides or ulnas.

[12][13] In sub-Saharan Africa, lions with weak manes were reported in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.

[14] An alternative explanation is that manelessness is an adaptation to the thorny vegetation of the Tsavo area in which a mane might hinder hunting.

[1][18] Paleolithic European cave paintings depict all cave lions (which are a distinct species most closely related to the modern lion) without manes, even if they display clear male characteristics such as the presence of a scrotum, suggesting that manes were absent in this species.