Marozi
The marozi is a name given to a type of spotted feline similar to a lion but with leopard-like spots, which was sighted in Kenya in the early 20th century. Skins of hunted specimens fitting the description do exist, but have not been sufficient for biologists to come to any definite conclusion regarding the nature of the animal. Naturalists have suggested that Mazori is a colour morph of a known subspecies of lion, perhaps involving individuals that retained juvenile spots into adulthood.[1][2][3]
Claims
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Peau_de_Marozi.jpg/220px-Peau_de_Marozi.jpg)
Though there were local East African legends of spotted lions, the first sighting documented by westerners was from Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen in 1903, who discussed seeing dark lions with rosette-like markings in the mountains of Kenya. Meinertzhagen had previously heard of the spotted lions, but may not have taken this very seriously.[4]
Another incident was in 1931, when a white farmer, Michael Trent, shot and killed two individuals, a male and a female, in the
Two years later, explorer Kenneth Gandar-Dower headed an expedition into the region in an attempt to capture or kill more specimens.[5] He returned with only circumstantial evidence: three sets of tracks found at a similar elevation as Trent's lions (10,000–12,500 feet or 3,000–3,800 metres). They were believed to have been left by individuals that were tracking a herd of buffalo during a hunt, ruling out the possibility of the marozi being cubs. Gandar-Dower noted that while some adult lions did keep their rosettes, such lions did not have them to the same degree as the pelts.[4][6]
There were other sightings around the same time:
- Four animals sighted by Game Warden Captain R. E. Dent in the Aberdare Mountain region at an elevation of 10,000 feet (3,000 m).[4]
- A pair sighted on the Kinangop Plateau by G. Hamilton-Snowball at an elevation of 11,500 feet (3,500 m). They were shot at, but escaped.[4]
The presence of lions in an unusual habitat at a higher altitude than is typical for the species also suggested the possibility of a distinct population.[7]
Skepticism
In 1950,
In 1963, zoologist Charles Albert Walter Guggisberg claimed that there is no reliable evidence for the marozi as a distinct variety of lion, saying, "...to this day nobody has been able to produce any proof of its existence. In East African lions the juvenile markings do not fade for quite a number of years, and I myself have seen two - year - old lions on the Athi Plains, showing just about the same rosettes as can be seen on the famous skins from the Aberdares."[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b Foran, W. Robert (1950). The Legendary Spotted Lion. The Field. p. 535.
- ^ a b Simon, Noel (1962). Between the Sunlight and the Thunder: The Wild Life of Kenya. Collins. p. 315.
- ^ Chilton Books. p. 50.
- ^ a b c d e Hartwell, Sarah. "Mutant Big Cats - Spotted Lions". Messybeast. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
- ^ W., K. (12 December 1937). "But He Never Found a Spotted Lion". The New York Times. p. 7. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
- William Heinemann Ltd. – via HathiTrust Digital Library.
- ^ Smith, Duncan JD (June–July 2018). "Driven By Devils: The Remarkable Story of KC Gandar-Dower" (PDF). Old Africa. No. 77. pp. 8–12. Retrieved 11 January 2024.