Black Lions

Black Lions Don't Exist

Let me first make it clear: There has never been a documented case of an actual black lion. There has never been any plausible account or evidence to suggest that a black lion has ever existed, and in my opinion, no such lions have ever existed. However, its existence is not scientifically implausible, as melanistic examples exist of eleven species of felines, including many other large cats such as jaguars. So, while black lions are not known to be impossible, there is no genuine photograph of one.

Black Lion Pictures

The development of photo-manipulation software like Photoshop has led to a lot of black lion pictures being produced for artistic reasons, but then circulated as real.

Black Lion "Sightings"

Some pictures and videos are accompanied by eyewitness accounts. But alternative explanation are available for what the witnesses actually saw.

2008

Reports of black lions roaming a South African township were attributed to the animals being seen in silhouette.

2007

A wandering creature dubbed "the Dartmoor Beast" was speculatively identified as a black lion. but turned out to be a large black dog.

Lions that are Dark or have Black Patches

There seems to be potential for melanism in lions, but it has only ever been partially expressed in any individual animal. For example, Ethiopian lions are sometimes referred to as black lions because they have partly black manes. Guggisberg (1961) thought that the existence of black-maned lions might suggest that the species was tending towards melanism overall, but there is no evidence that this is really the case.

1975

In 1975 a lion was born at the Glasgow zoo that had a large patch of black fur. This male lion called Ranger had a large black patch on his foreleg and chest--suggesting that melanism may people possible but was expressed here via mosiacism, where one animal has body parts with different genotypes. Ranger was apparently infertile. You can see pictures of Ranger as a cub and adult here.

1880s

Naturalist Sir Henry Layard described a dark brown, but not black lion in Iran. This lion was probably from a now extinct lion species that was darker in color than modern lions.

Symbolism

Black lions do appear in heraldry, such as on the coat of arms for Flanders, Belgium.
Dreaming of a black lion suggests that your big plans are in peril and you need to be careful.
The black lion appears in the Bible (depending on the translation used) as a symbol of strength.

Summary

All evidence for black lions can easily be explained away. So, I think that they exist only in our imaginations, at least so far. However, there is evidence that if just the right mutation occurs, a true black lion may yet be born. Eberhart (2002) lists the black lion as a possible cryptid (undiscovered animal), but one that has not produced a single credible sighting or report.

References

Eberhart, G. M. (2002). Mysterious creatures: a guide to cryptozoology. Abc-clio.
Mazak, V. (1964). Note on the lion’s mane. Z. Saeugetierkd, 29, 124-127.