Asiatic lion known as "Indian lion" and "Persian lion". Following Meyer's first description of an Asiatic lion skin from Persia, other naturalists and zoologists also described lion specimens from other parts of Asia that used to be considered synonyms of "P. l. persica": In 2017, the Asiatic lion was subsumed to "P. l. leo" due to close morphological and molecular genetic similarities with Barbary lion specimens. Fossil remains of "Panthera spelaea" excavated in the Cromer Stage indicate that it represented a genetically isolated and highly distinct lineage. Fossil lion remains were found in Pleistocene deposits in West Bengal. A fossil carnassial excavated
Apex predator of such a smaller predator as a badger. Apex predators can have profound effects on ecosystems, as the consequences of both controlling prey density and restricting smaller predators, and may be capable of self-regulation. They are central to the functioning of ecosystems, the regulation of disease, and the maintenance of biodiversity. When introduced to subarctic islands, for example, Arctic foxes' predation of seabirds has been shown to turn grassland into tundra. Such wide-ranging effects on lower levels of an ecosystem are termed trophic cascades. The removal of top-level predators, often through human agency, can cause or disrupt trophic cascades. For