THE KING THE JUNGLE NEVER HAD
THE KING THE JUNGLE NEVER HAD.
Often times than not, when we think of "The King of the Jungle", our minds hover on the majestic Lion. Our minds begin to envision the regal mane, a mighty roar and of course the pride. I think I know why this is so. It is probably because the idea of the King as the Lion of the Jungle was sold to Us when we were but infants, on our cradle bed, when tears of sweet affection were shed by our Mothers. But don't you think it is time to reconsider this title? Don't you think it's about time to learn, unlearn and relearn? Must we take everything hook, line and sinker? Life isn't even straight-jacketed. Dear Readership - I am happy to announce to you that in the shadows of the forest, there lives a more formidable and elusive predator and He reigns supreme - The Tiger.
Believe me, I didn't just conjure this up, it is based on these latin maxims of very great importance - " Nil possumus nisi nil habemus" which means "On nothing, nothing can stand" and "Res ipsa loquitor" which means "the fact speaks for itself". There are numbers and numbers.. they don't lie. My Dear Readership, sit back, if possible with a cup of coffee, learn, unlearn and relearn.
Foremost, it is important to know that both animals belong to the genus Panthera and both also have 38 chromosomes and this is one of the reasons they can both be crossbred to get the LiGer.. howbeit, infertile.
They are both among the four big cats (the other two being the jaguar, leopard) and they are apex predators — i.e., they have no predators of their own and reside at the top of their food chain.
Lions typically inhabit the savanna (and not even the jungle, imagine), although they may take to bush and forest. This means they live in grasslands with fewer trees while Tigers typically inhabit the Jungle. This means that they live in the forests with so many trees and not just grasses. Wait a moment, lol.. why not just name the Tiger the King of the Jungle already? Does this not mean that the Lion is an imposter?
Furthermore, Lions are very social animals as they live in a family popularly known as the Pride. It is indeed worthy to note that a Pride consist of a male lion (the head of the family), his lionesses and of course, his cubs. It is probably interesting to note that Lions rarely hunt, the lionesses hunt and all the self acclaimed King of the Jungle does is to chance his wives, feed himself to satisfaction and thereafter allows others to feed of their own kills, lol. Tigers, on the other hand, are mostly solitary animals, a loner, the lone ranger and of course aren't as social as the Lions. I began to wonder if this is the reason why the Lion was crowned "The King of the Jungle".
It is also worthy to note that the largest lion subspecie used to be the Panthera leo leo (the babary lion), however it no longer exist as it has gone extinct. The largest lion subspecie that still exists in the wild is the Panthera leo krugeri (Masai Lion) while the Largest Tiger subspecie is the Panthera tigris altaica (The Siberian Tiger).
At this juncture, I think it would be better to take few characteristics and then compare the two animals.
WEIGHT.
LIONS are indeed the second largest in the cat family as they can attain up to 550 pounds weight, just behind TIGERS that can attain up to 670 pounds. This simply means that a Lion's mane makes it look bigger than it actually is. Isn't this Deception? Lol.
LIFE SPAN.
The average life span of a Lion in the wild is about 12 years while that of the Tiger in the Wild is about 17 years.
HUNTING BEHAVIOR.
Most female Lions hunt together at night and also during the day. They have three important strategies, depending on the type of prey. The strategies include Ambush, Blitz and the siege while Tigers are nocturnal animals, they hunt alone and they tend to ambush their prey most times.
BRAIN SIZE.
It has been proven that Tigers's brains is 25 times bigger than that of the Lions and as such Lions come second in this aspect too.. amongst the cats family.
PREY.
Lions basically hunt Zebras, wildebeests, warthogs etc unlike Tigers, as they hunt even animals bigger than they are, like the Elephants (baby elephants, winks). I have even seen a Tiger pounce on a Crocodile. You can imagine that.
SPEED.
Lions generally have more speed than Tigers. A Lion's top speed is slightly higher than 50 miles per hour while that of a Tiger is around 40 miles per hour but who cares? Lol.
BITE FORCE.
The canines of Lions is about 3.2 inches while that of the Tigers is about 3.6 inches and as such Tigers have a better bite force.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH.
Lions have about 60 percent muscles while Tigers have up to 70 percent muscles. Therefore, in terms of muscular strength, Tigers also have the lead.
Furthermore, about eight months ago, BBC Earth Unplugged posted a video on their Youtube channel. It was an experiment conducted at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. They subjected the two animals to same tests and under same conditions to determine their Agility, Strength, Intelligence and Bravery. It would interest you to know that the tiger won.
Also, I have seen so many situations and instances where men (as a result of their undying quest to know who the best fighter is between the two animals) have set the two animals up against each other. It will also interest you to know that the tiger has always emerge victorious due to the fact that his agility, aggressiveness, pounce power and biting force is slightly better than that of the Lion. However, this would be very difficult to achieve in the wild as they rarely even meet. Moreover, if they do, all things can never be equal in terms of Age and Health.
Conclusively, for me..while lions may rule the savannah, tigers dominate the forest. Their adaptability and intelligence allow them to thrive in a variety of habitats, from grasslands to mangrove swamps. Unlike lions, tigers don't rely on other family members (the pride), they are lone warriors, fiercely protecting their own territories by themselves without the help of any family member.
So, why do we hesitate to crown tigers as the true kings of the jungle? For God sake, Lions don't even live in the Jungle. Perhaps it's their reclusive nature, or our own bias towards social animals like lions. But, it's time to recognize the tiger's reign. They are the guardians of the forest, their stripes a symbol of power and resilience. Its time we crown Lions the King of the Savannah and Tigers, the Undisputed King of the Jungle.
Its even sad that they've become endangered species as I am not sure the World can boast of even ten thousands of them. Henceforth, as you gaze into the eyes of a tiger, see a reflection of your own awe and reverence. Acknowledge the true monarchs of the jungle, and work to protect their domains. For, in preserving their habitats and respecting their majesty, you ensure the survival of these incredible creatures.
The king the jungle never had? It's time to recognize the tiger's rightful place on the throne.
As for me and my house, we have joined a cloud of witnesses, a host of fact driven persons to pledge an allegiance to the Tiger, the Guardian of the forest as the Undisputed King of the Jungle.
Well, as the MBN would say, till we get to the promised land, I shall be waiting for when you will pass me a glass of water to thank God for the gift of grace for this race.
Often times than not, when we think of "The King of the Jungle", our minds hover on the majestic Lion. Our minds begin to envision the regal mane, a mighty roar and of course the pride. I think I know why this is so. It is probably because the idea of the King as the Lion of the Jungle was sold to Us when we were but infants, on our cradle bed, when tears of sweet affection were shed by our Mothers. But don't you think it is time to reconsider this title? Don't you think it's about time to learn, unlearn and relearn? Must we take everything hook, line and sinker? Life isn't even straight-jacketed. Dear Readership - I am happy to announce to you that in the shadows of the forest, there lives a more formidable and elusive predator and He reigns supreme - The Tiger.
Believe me, I didn't just conjure this up, it is based on these latin maxims of very great importance - " Nil possumus nisi nil habemus" which means "On nothing, nothing can stand" and "Res ipsa loquitor" which means "the fact speaks for itself". There are numbers and numbers.. they don't lie. My Dear Readership, sit back, if possible with a cup of coffee, learn, unlearn and relearn.
Foremost, it is important to know that both animals belong to the genus Panthera and both also have 38 chromosomes and this is one of the reasons they can both be crossbred to get the LiGer.. howbeit, infertile.
They are both among the four big cats (the other two being the jaguar, leopard) and they are apex predators — i.e., they have no predators of their own and reside at the top of their food chain.
Lions typically inhabit the savanna (and not even the jungle, imagine), although they may take to bush and forest. This means they live in grasslands with fewer trees while Tigers typically inhabit the Jungle. This means that they live in the forests with so many trees and not just grasses. Wait a moment, lol.. why not just name the Tiger the King of the Jungle already? Does this not mean that the Lion is an imposter?
Furthermore, Lions are very social animals as they live in a family popularly known as the Pride. It is indeed worthy to note that a Pride consist of a male lion (the head of the family), his lionesses and of course, his cubs. It is probably interesting to note that Lions rarely hunt, the lionesses hunt and all the self acclaimed King of the Jungle does is to chance his wives, feed himself to satisfaction and thereafter allows others to feed of their own kills, lol. Tigers, on the other hand, are mostly solitary animals, a loner, the lone ranger and of course aren't as social as the Lions. I began to wonder if this is the reason why the Lion was crowned "The King of the Jungle".
It is also worthy to note that the largest lion subspecie used to be the Panthera leo leo (the babary lion), however it no longer exist as it has gone extinct. The largest lion subspecie that still exists in the wild is the Panthera leo krugeri (Masai Lion) while the Largest Tiger subspecie is the Panthera tigris altaica (The Siberian Tiger).
At this juncture, I think it would be better to take few characteristics and then compare the two animals.
WEIGHT.
LIONS are indeed the second largest in the cat family as they can attain up to 550 pounds weight, just behind TIGERS that can attain up to 670 pounds. This simply means that a Lion's mane makes it look bigger than it actually is. Isn't this Deception? Lol.
LIFE SPAN.
The average life span of a Lion in the wild is about 12 years while that of the Tiger in the Wild is about 17 years.
HUNTING BEHAVIOR.
Most female Lions hunt together at night and also during the day. They have three important strategies, depending on the type of prey. The strategies include Ambush, Blitz and the siege while Tigers are nocturnal animals, they hunt alone and they tend to ambush their prey most times.
BRAIN SIZE.
It has been proven that Tigers's brains is 25 times bigger than that of the Lions and as such Lions come second in this aspect too.. amongst the cats family.
PREY.
Lions basically hunt Zebras, wildebeests, warthogs etc unlike Tigers, as they hunt even animals bigger than they are, like the Elephants (baby elephants, winks). I have even seen a Tiger pounce on a Crocodile. You can imagine that.
SPEED.
Lions generally have more speed than Tigers. A Lion's top speed is slightly higher than 50 miles per hour while that of a Tiger is around 40 miles per hour but who cares? Lol.
BITE FORCE.
The canines of Lions is about 3.2 inches while that of the Tigers is about 3.6 inches and as such Tigers have a better bite force.
PHYSICAL STRENGTH.
Lions have about 60 percent muscles while Tigers have up to 70 percent muscles. Therefore, in terms of muscular strength, Tigers also have the lead.
Furthermore, about eight months ago, BBC Earth Unplugged posted a video on their Youtube channel. It was an experiment conducted at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation. They subjected the two animals to same tests and under same conditions to determine their Agility, Strength, Intelligence and Bravery. It would interest you to know that the tiger won.
Also, I have seen so many situations and instances where men (as a result of their undying quest to know who the best fighter is between the two animals) have set the two animals up against each other. It will also interest you to know that the tiger has always emerge victorious due to the fact that his agility, aggressiveness, pounce power and biting force is slightly better than that of the Lion. However, this would be very difficult to achieve in the wild as they rarely even meet. Moreover, if they do, all things can never be equal in terms of Age and Health.
Conclusively, for me..while lions may rule the savannah, tigers dominate the forest. Their adaptability and intelligence allow them to thrive in a variety of habitats, from grasslands to mangrove swamps. Unlike lions, tigers don't rely on other family members (the pride), they are lone warriors, fiercely protecting their own territories by themselves without the help of any family member.
So, why do we hesitate to crown tigers as the true kings of the jungle? For God sake, Lions don't even live in the Jungle. Perhaps it's their reclusive nature, or our own bias towards social animals like lions. But, it's time to recognize the tiger's reign. They are the guardians of the forest, their stripes a symbol of power and resilience. Its time we crown Lions the King of the Savannah and Tigers, the Undisputed King of the Jungle.
Its even sad that they've become endangered species as I am not sure the World can boast of even ten thousands of them. Henceforth, as you gaze into the eyes of a tiger, see a reflection of your own awe and reverence. Acknowledge the true monarchs of the jungle, and work to protect their domains. For, in preserving their habitats and respecting their majesty, you ensure the survival of these incredible creatures.
The king the jungle never had? It's time to recognize the tiger's rightful place on the throne.
As for me and my house, we have joined a cloud of witnesses, a host of fact driven persons to pledge an allegiance to the Tiger, the Guardian of the forest as the Undisputed King of the Jungle.
Well, as the MBN would say, till we get to the promised land, I shall be waiting for when you will pass me a glass of water to thank God for the gift of grace for this race.
