Young Brunette Girl Posing With Lion Sculptures

Maneless male lions have been reported in Senegal and Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, and the original male white lion from Timbavati also was maneless. The testosterone hormone has been linked to mane growth, therefore castrated lions often have minimal to no mane, as the removal of the gonads inhibits testosterone production. The lack of a mane sometimes is found in inbred lion populations; inbreeding also results in poor fertility.
Cave paintings of extinct European Cave Lions exclusively show animals with no mane, or just the hint of a mane, suggesting that they were maneless.