Next on Arthurian Science: The Questing Beast -- Sauropsida or Mammalia

[felis_ultharus]

Few know that England has its own indigenous lion species. The English lion (panthera leo anglicus) is very rarely sighted now, and its lack of presence on the endangered species list can only be ascribed to politics.

Fortunately, we have the Arthurian stories in Mabinogion to provide us with an undoubtedly accurate natural history of the English lion, which makes an appearance most prominently in the story of the "The Lady of the Fountain."

From this, we learn:

• The English lion is a loyal, intelligent creature that will follow you around if you save its life -- as the knight Owein discovers when he saves one from its natural predator, the Giant Snake.
  
• The English lion does not need to sleep -- after all, it watches over Owein whenever he does, but Owein never returns the favour.
  
• The English lion can gather firewood -- and indeed, gathers enough firewood for Owein in a short time to last them three days.
  
• The English lion can claw through stone -- and indeed, claws its way out of a stone prison to save Owein.

Hopefully, with such a fund of scrupulously obtained data, biologists will finally turn towards the study of this magnificient creature, which was clearly once plentiful on the English moors.