There was a post On reddit about European coats of arms and a ton of the countries had lions predominantly displayed. I know the Romans had lions in captivity, and I'm guessing the practice continued into the middle ages, but there couldn't be that many of them. I'm assuming the vast majority of Europeans had never seen a lion during the time frame that these coats of arms were designed, and yet it's probably the most popular animal displayed after Eagles.

I would have thought that bears, wolves, and other large tough looking animals that are native to Europe would be more prevalent. In stories, artwork, and even titles like Richard the lionheart, I feel lions have an outsized role. What am I missing here? Did lions have a much larger range in those times, maybe one that reached the Mediterranean? Or were there way more lions on display in captivity than I'm assuming?