Barbary lion In the early 20th century, when Barbary lions were not common anymore, they were sighted in pairs or in small family groups comprising a male and female lion with one or two cubs. Between 1839 and 1942, sightings of wild lions involved solitary animals, pairs and family units. Analysis of these sightings indicate that lions retained living in prides even when under increasing persecution, particularly in the eastern Maghreb. The size of prides was likely similar to prides living in sub-Saharan habitats, whereas the density of the Barbary lion population is considered to have been lower than in moister habitats.
Barbary Coast maps published during the 17th–20th centuries. The name derives from the Berber people of North Africa (from greek "Bàrbaroi", Βάρβαροι, "barbaric"). In the West, the name commonly evoked the Barbary pirates and Barbary slave traders based on that coast—who attacked ships and coastal settlements in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern North Atlantic Ocean, and captured and traded slaves or goods from Europe, America and sub-Saharan Africa. These actions finally provoked the Barbary Wars of the early 19th century. The slaves and goods were being traded and sold throughout the Ottoman Empire or to the Europeans themselves. "Barbary" was not always