Thirty-thousand years ago, different types of lions prowled the globe, hunting prey on four continents. One of the most prolific, the cave lion, roamed from Spain all the way through Eurasia and into modern-day Alaska and the Yukon and was widely depicted in prehistoric cave art.

Meanwhile, the American lion, which was even larger than African lions and saber-toothed tigers, lurked throughout North America and possibly parts of South America. Other lions of various sizes and appearances inhabited Africa, the Middle East, and India. Most of these creatures have since disappeared, but scientists have been able to glean genetic clues that shed new light on them and offer insights into their modern cousins, which now facing their own extinction.

Over the past