Classification/taxonomy
The taxonomy of lions recognized by most experts is:
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Bilateria
Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclass: Tetrapoda
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Theria
Infraclass: Eutheria
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus & species: Panthera leo
Subspecies: Panthera leo leo (African lion), Panthera leo persica (Asiatic lion)
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) only recognizes these two subspecies, while the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, lists six other subspecies. However, there is ongoing debate among researchers about whether those are true subspecies, according to the University of Michigan's Museum of Zoology.