Kansas lion with full mane does not look cowardly! (IMAGE)
Caption
Long, thick manes such as this one intimidate rivals and attract potential mates. But they come with a cost, including heat retention. New research shows that lions adapt to hotter climates by growing manes that are less long and thick. This lion lives at the relatively northern Topeka Zoological Park in Topeka, Kansas. Therefore it has a bigger, denser mane than other lions in the study that live in relatively hotter southern climates.
Credit
Photo by Bruce D. Patterson, Courtesy of The Field Museum
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