Why is the lion the king of the forest?
Before looking for the answer to the question why the lion is the king of the forest, something should be said about the criteria of excellence. Exactly what characteristics make an animal sit in the seat of excellence? In fact, the measure of excellence varies from context to context and from person to person. So different opinions can be found in the context of this question. So here we go with all the possible answers. I will also reveal the reason behind the lion being the king of the forest.
Many will put intelligence ahead in terms of excellence. Advanced intelligence will undoubtedly put any animal ahead in the race for excellence. But lions are not the most intelligent animals in the forest. Many jungle animals, including chimpanzees, monkeys, pheasants, and foxes, are more intelligent than lions. So if intelligence was the measure of excellence, then surely the lion would fall behind in the race to become king. Considering the size of the brain, the largest brain animal in the jungle is the elephant, not the lion.
Physical size is of course crucial for the influence of jungle animals. But there are bigger animals in the forest than lions. There is no special contribution of the lion's physical size to become the king of the jungle beyond the giant elephant. Moreover, where the average weight of a male lion is 190 kg, the average weight of an Asian elephant is 4,000 kg. The average weight of an African elephant is more. About 6,000 kg. So neither body size nor weight fails to argue for the lion's superiority.
Now let's come to strength. Is the lion the most powerful animal in the forest? Rhinos, elephants, gorillas or tigers - these animals are definitely stronger than lions. While a lion can bite at 650 pounds per square inch, a tiger can bite at 1,050 pounds per square inch. The tiger can catch prey weighing about 5 times more than its own. Lions, on the other hand, can catch up to twice their body weight.
The largest buffalo species in the world is the Gore, which is found in the Indian subcontinent. Each gore weighs about one thousand kilograms. These buffaloes are the favorite prey of the Royal Bengal Tiger. So the tiger is stronger than the lion in terms of strength. So the tiger will be a little ahead.
Fights were also arranged between tigers and lions. In the early nineteenth century, the Baroda king of India fought a war between a tiger and a lion. He even bet Rs 36,000 on the lion in this battle. But the lion lost the battle. As a result, the king lost a huge amount of money.
Let us give some comparative information of tiger and lion. The tiger's legs are shorter than the lion's, so due to the low center of gravity, the tiger can bend down to resist the attack and maintain good balance. Jumping tigers can also attack much higher. But the lion is not as capable of attacking as the tiger. The size of the tiger's brain is also larger than that of the lion. About 16 percent larger than a lion.
Let me put together an interesting piece of information. Although the lion is called the king of the forest, the lion does not live in the forest at all. They live in the Savannah region of sub-Saharan Africa. The lion is basically the African lion. However, some lions can be seen outside Africa.
The thing that has put the lion first to become a king is his appearance. First the philosopher, then the judge, in this case, the result is the same. The hair extending to the waist of the lion seemed to repeatedly reveal his royalty. Undoubtedly, the appearance of a lion is more regal than that of any other animal in the forest due to its hair extending up to the waist. At the same time, there is a royal movement in the movement of the lion. The fearless gaze and movement of the lion is undoubtedly a royal feature. Their roar also distinguishes them from any other animal in the jungle. The roar of each lion can be heard from a distance of about 6 km. By roaring, lions let others know their boundaries. So the royal roar or roar has played a very important role in the lion's beast.
But apart from these, the biggest contribution behind becoming the king of lions is their family system. They are very social animals. They are quite different from other cat species. They live in groups. Each group of lions is called Pride. There are about 30 lions in a pride. Of which 3-4 are male lions, 10-15 are female lions and the rest are lion cubs. The size of each pride depends on the supply of food, water and prey. If there is more prey and water, the size of the group is bigger, if it is less, the size of the group has to be kept small
Just as a king has a specific state, a pride also has a specific area or territory. This territory extends up to about 100 square miles. The male lions of Pride work to protect this territory. Male lions work to prevent any other lions from entering their territory. The male lion cub has to leave its father's area after a certain period of time to establish a new frontier by invading a new territory.
The king is deeply involved in the pleasures of kings. This is also clear in the lion's pride. Usually the female members of the group are the ones who catch the prey. However, even if the victims are wives, the first right belongs to the male lion, the leader of Pride. So after hunting, first the male lion finishes his meal, then the rest of the female lions share among themselves.
Such an unequal distribution policy is not seen among the tigers. Tigers generally do not hunt in groups, and even if they do, they have equal rights to food. So this custom of the lion family definitely supports the monarchy.
This royal family system is not seen in any other animal of the jungle. From time immemorial, kings and emperors have dominated the lion's figure in their royal flags, as the costumes and family system of a king are strongly influenced by the lion. In areas like the Indian subcontinent, where tigers are more accessible and popular than lions, the presence of lions is more noticeable than tigers in the royal flags of kings. That is why the name of the lion has come to be known as the 'King of the Forest' in the mouths of people since ancient times!
One thing before concluding, there is no king among the lions like Mufasa or Simba in 'The Lion King'. All male lions in a Pride enjoy equal rights. There is no classification of kings and subjects among themselves!
[References: Roar Bangla, Live Science]