Were there ever any lions living wild in England?

Question

Were there ever proper wild lions in England. Was the cave lion a proper lion?

Answer 1

Yes. Google "Dogger Banks fauna". A lot of the animals we associate with Africa today were living in England way back when.

Answer 2

In the very distant past, yes - the so-called "cave lion" is known from fossils in Great Britain.  But it was probably long gone before people arrived.

(It would have had nothing to do with the Plantagenet lion, or the lion in the current royal coat of arms of the UK.)

Answer 3

Yes. The cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea) lived in Europe, including England, during the last Ice Age. It was a subspecies of lion which was around 25% larger than today's lions, making it the largest cat which ever lived.