Leo (constellation) thus, the warriors' clubs, swords, and spears were rendered useless against it. Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands, Hercules slipped into the Lion's cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in midair, one hand grasping the Lion's forelegs and the other its hind legs, and bent it backwards, breaking its back and freeing the trapped maidens. Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky. The Roman poet Ovid called it "Herculeus Leo" and "Violentus Leo". "Bacchi Sidus" (star of Bacchus) was another of its titles,
Panthera leo leo Panthera leo leo Panthera leo leo is the nominate subspecies of the lion, which today is present in West Africa, northern Central Africa and India. It is regionally extinct in southern Europe, West Asia and North Africa. In India, the sole lion population lives in and around Gir Forest National Park. In West and Central Africa, it is restricted to fragmented and isolated populations, most of them declining. The West African population is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List; this population is isolated and comprises fewer than 250 mature individuals. In 2005, a Lion Conservation Strategy was