Lions are called the unanimous king of beasts. People have associated the lion as a symbolic representation of royalty. Ancient monarchies and kingdoms used the statue of this beast to signify power and kingship. Such symbolic representations have been happening for thousands of years. It happens even today. Football teams, homes, corporate czars, cars, and even children are being annotated with the title of lion to signify power, prestige, kingship, leadership and so on.
Some facts of about lions
- Lions are not the biggest. They are smaller than elephants. Even a whale can easily swallow a lion.
- Lions are not the strongest nor the fastest. The tiger is stronger and more powerful than three lions combined.
- One of the reasons for this sobriquet is the flowing manes of lions which gives them a kingly look. The Lion’s head looks bigger than usual.
- The lion’s roar is outstanding. It instills fear amongst all the animals. Lions roar to portray their power and influence over a particular territory. A lion’s roar is so loud that it can be heard from kilometers away.
- A lion lives life king-size. Probably this is one of the reasons why it’s called the king of beasts. Unlike other animals, a lion lives for the moment.
- This beast sleeps for more than twenty hours a day. Its leisure is only used for hunting. The rest of the time it is sleeping. This eat-and-sleep lifestyle seems luxurious and kingly to human beings.
- Lions eat a lot. They don’t just eat until full. They eat till they might drop down dead! They can eat more than seventy five pounds of meat in one sitting!
- Another reason why they are called king is that there is nobody to eat them! They are the predators. They are atop the food chain.
The different explanations as to why the Lion is called the king of beasts
There are a number of lions in the jungles of Africa. But lions were prehistorically not in Africa. They lived in areas adjoining ancient Greece that had temperate forests. Even in ancient Greece, lions were atop the food chain. There were feared and revered beasts. The title – king of beasts came about during this time given that the lion was more powerful than the bear and wolf. The bear and wolf were perceived to be the most ferocious animals around that time.
Lions are after all not the sole winner of this title
A king should be all-powerful. There should be no one in the king’s kingdom that is more powerful. But in the case of the lion, there are plenty of animals that can easily kill it.
- There are more deaths caused to lions by wild buffalo.
- A single crocodile can kill more than two lions.
- A single elephant can stamp to death three to four lions.
- Multiple hyenas can inflict fatal injury to lions.
Conclusion
The king of beasts is definitely a much-watched animal. Its legacy will still remain for centuries.
