The Pair of Lions

 In Fauna

The majestic king and queen of the jungle. This is the first thought that came to mind when I was photographing this pair of lions.

Someone once asked me that since lions do not actually live in the jungle, why are they called the king of the jungle? He is right, lions don’t actually live in the jungle. They live in the plains of Africa and Northwest India. Their real habitat is the open savanna where they hunt their prey.

They are called king of the jungle because there is a misunderstanding about the word “jungle”. The word “jungle” is derived from the Hindi words meaning “an uninhabited place”. It includes the forest, wilderness, plains and anywhere in the world without human structures. Since there are no tropical forests in India, to the Hindus “jangala” really meant an open savanna-like terrain where the Indian lions roam. In the western part of our world however, we refer to the word “jungle” as a dense tropical rainforest. This misinterpretation of the word is the reason for the confusion.

Recommended Posts

Start typing and press Enter to search

Red and White Fantail GoldfishPortrait of a Ring-tailed Lemur