He is not the largest of the cat species. Siberian tigers are bigger than African lions. In fact, it’s not even the largest in the jungle. There are many other animals like elephants, rhinos that are bigger. So why is the lion considered the king of the jungle? I wondered about this for quite some time during my childhood. In fact, they are quite social and live in groups called herds. There are around 10-15 lions in a pride and of that only 2-3 are adult lions. Others are lionesses and cubs.
There are many stories told here in India about what the lion’s share is. Actually, when lionesses in a pride hunt, the lion walks in after the fact and takes a part of the prey. That is called as a lion’s share. This disappointed me in childhood. Not very macho of the big guy, huh? So is it just the mane that makes him look regal? But I have a healthy respect for the older generation and their opinions, which are developed through years of experience. No one has seriously questioned the fact that lions are the kings of the jungle. So there must be some reason why they are considered kings.
Lionesses do the hunting and are primarily the livelihood of the pride. They are smaller and more athletic and hunt intelligently. Male lions will hunt only when necessary and when alone away from the pride. But they are incredibly powerful and can take down a prey that will need 4-5 lionesses to kill.
There are several videos on YouTube and elsewhere on the internet that give you a clearer picture of these magnificent creatures. There is a video in which a lioness tries to catch a wildebeest from a pride. But despite her experience due to the large number of people, she can’t do it. And as the filming continues, a male lion comes out of nowhere and out of 100 strong fleeing wildebeest just snatches a kill. She was august watching this. The show of courage and strength alone is impressive to watch.
There is another video that shows a group of wild buffalo attacking a pair of lions and lionesses. The big guy just turned on the buffalo and showed a nerve that I can’t imagine he has any other animal on earth. He simply kept them away with grit, power, and determination. No one, just no one in this world can do this.
There are various speculations as to what will happen if a lion and a tiger of the same size fight. The tiger, although it is a powerful animal, actually cannot beat the king. See the available videos. Lions are just fighting machines, born fighters who are meant to lead and have courage. The tigers although better hunters; he cannot survive the lions because the lions have stamina for a longer duel. In any case, these two superb creations of nature are not often found because tigers live in the jungle and lions in the grasslands.
It will be a tragedy if these creatures are not there for the next generations to see. Although measures are taken to protect them, human curiosity is also something to consider during protection.
