The Marozi or Spotted Lion is variously claimed by zoologists and cryptozoologists to be a distinct race of lion adapted for a mundane rather than savanna-dwelling existence, a rare natural hybrid of a leopard and lion, or an adult lion that retained its childhood spots. It is believed to have been smaller than a lion but slightly larger in size than a leopard and lacking any distinguishable mane. It has been reported in the wild and the skin of a specimen exists, but it has yet to be confirmed as either a separate species or subspecies, although Reginald Pocock and Belgian cryptozoologist Dr Bernard Heuvelmans both proposed the subspecific name Panthera leo maculatus for it (but this currently lacks any valid nomenclatural status).
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