I don't personally place much faith in the black nose theory, all you have to do is turn on to any of the lion programmes on the wildlife channels and you'll see lion noses of every age and every hue, including cubs with totally black noses. The theory was based on study of lions from one relatively small area in Tanzania and nowhere else, which only proves that lions in that particular area might develop black noses as they grow older. Even if were true, the fact is that when hunting lions, their noses are often covered in mud/blood etc which would make identification more difficult. - To say nothing of the fact that mature lions spend a fair amount of their time fighting and getting scratches on their face and nose....... how then could you tell the difference between a half healed scratch and pink pigmentation?

I place much more faith in the general shape of the lion, particularly the breadth of the head. (the wider it is, the older the animal) & body markings such as spotting on the legs etc. Also general mane development, bearing in mind the geographical area and what is common in that particular area, the general behaviour of the animal, (a mature lion is a lot more confident than a younger one in his body language and finally the hairline of the mane where it meets the face. In most areas but not all, if it has an 'Elvis' style haircut, it's not reached it's peak.

All that said, one also has to consider that what is a good lion to take as regards trophy quality vs responsible lion management vs that particular client's requirements. Many experts now don't have a problem with taking lions that hold a pride if there are no dependant youngsters - they say you should try to take them on a 'rolling road' basis if there are other lions waiting in the wings to take over. That to me makes a lot of sense.

As for glossy fur, when it's full of dust etc it ain't so easy to judge gloss through a pair of binos......