Today let's explore one of the old legends that we often refer to. Why do we consider the lion as the king of the jungle? Yes it is at the top of the food chain, but it definitely not the strongest or the biggest of the wild cats around. Pound for Pound, the average tiger is a larger animal, faster, more lethal and equipped with higher intelligence than an average lion.

Besides, the lion does not actually live in the jungle! Its the Tiger that lives in the jungle, while the Lion lives in the savanna or grasslands! So why do old sayings still equate a lion with strength, bravery, courage as in "He fought like a lion" or "He has a Lion's heart" and not any other animal - be it a tiger, elephant, hippopotamus or a crocodile? Why is the Lion more represented than any other wild animal in National emblems, and Royal coats of Arms of various countries which includes the UK, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Bulgaria?

Let's Look At Some Possible Reasons.

(1) The Lions Mane

By its very appearance, a male lion is distinctive among all the felines. With a flowing mane that figuratively resembles a crown, it indeed stands out! The manes of the male lions gives them a very royal look, and makes them appear much larger than they actually are! The gorgeous mane which takes about two years to fully grow protects their neck against direct piercing of the claw or teeth during fights which is an added advantage over the tiger.

(2) Leader of a Large Pride

The Lions always move as a group, called a 'pride of Lions'. The leader male within the pride Lords over the rest of the Lions in the Pride, like a king! The leader of the pride commands the respect of the rest of the pride. A lion with his pride of likenesses is very much like the king with his harem of queens! In contract, the tiger is virtually a recluse, lives alone and has its own territory in the jungle that it guards, pretty fiercely.

(3) Lions Kill Larger Animals

Given the strength of numbers, a pride of lion can bring down animals that are much larger than themselves, which includes elephants, giraffes, or a hippopotamus. There are videos on YouTube of a pride of lions conquering these larger animals, who probably would not be bothered by an individual tiger.

(4) Always Ready For Battle

The Lion is more battle-hardened wildcat, having to fight other lions to establish supremacy over their prides. The Tiger in comparison, is not keen on getting into battles with its near-equals, and generally would avoid it.

(5) The Roar

The lions roar is considered as one of the most frightening sounds in the wild or for that matter anywhere. The roar is equivalent to 114 decibles which could be 25 times as much as you lawn mower, and on a still night, the roar can be heard 7 to 8 kilometres away.

(6) The Attitude

And lastly, more than any other, one of the key reasons for the title of King of the Jungle bring conferred on the Lion is the attitude. The lion lives in the open in the grasslands, and uses its team strength for its hunting, while the tiger predominantly relies on stealth.

So one is considered the king while the other is the thief! Besides the pride of lions normally only hunt their prey if they are hungry or if under threat of attack. They don't hunt for fun. There are videos showing a herd of deer passing by near a contended pride of lions without feeling threatened.

On the contrary, the Tiger would hunt down anything that it comes across, even when its not hungry. Of course this debate is more hypothetical than a real one, as in the wild, it is very unlikely that Lions and Tigers would have to face-off against each other, given their habitat preferences!

Even in case they do, the Tiger will have to contend with a pride of Lion and not just a single lion so no prizes for guessing as to who will be last one standing! So while I personally prefer the Tiger for its majestic look, its brilliant stripes, it's graceful walk, and sheer strength, these are some clear reasons why the lion takes the cake when it comes to the title of the Lord of the Jungle.

What ever be your personal preference, both these majestic felines are unfortunately endangered, and we are probably seeing the last of them in the wild. I do hope the conservation efforts of various Governments are able to increase the population of both of them for the future generations to enjoy and marvel!

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