The lion, the king of the beasts, is also known as the king of the jungle. But you know what? Lions don’t live in the jungle. Most of the wild lions today live on the open savannas of Africa.
Proverbs 30:30 – A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
Why are they the king of the beasts? A king holds authority over a country and its people just as the lion maintains balance in his territory by killing animals that would otherwise overpopulate the area. Of course, they also kill to satisfy their hunger. Do they realize they are keeping other animals from overpopulating their area while they feast on them? I don’t know. But God has given them the wisdom to do what is necessary.
In their habitat, they rule. At the top of the food chain, they are the strongest and not afraid of any other animal. Crowned with a glorious mane, they are in control. Do they have enemies? Of course they do. They often have conflicts with the hyenas over food. And then there are disreputable hunters, poachers, who want to kill the lions for their fur.
Lions are social animals and live in what is known as a pride. A pride of lions usually has around fifteen members, but the membership of some prides has swollen to around thirty. Most of the pride is made up of females and cubs; there are usually only one to three adult males. Once the male cubs are old enough, they will leave the pride they grew up in and take over another pride or form their own.
Lions might not be the largest member of the “big cat” family, but their powerful roar is the loudest and can be heard five to six miles away. They are fierce hunters, but they are compassionate with members of their pride.
They live the life of a king, the males resting for up to 20 hours a day, the females up to 18 hours. But they don’t do this because they’re lazy. They’re most active at night when it is cooler—it does get rather hot in Africa during the day and lions do have a fur coat they can’t take off. And it takes a lot of energy to hunt as fiercely as they do. Also, their superb eyesight in the dark gives them a definite advantage over their prey.
While they aren’t the fastest of the big cats, they can run up to 50 miles an hour for short distances. And they can make leaps of 35 feet or more. A lot of the animals they hunt can outrun them, but lions are smart and usually hunt in groups.
The females are the main hunters and providers even while raising their cubs. The males keep watch over their territory and protect it from those who would seek to take it away. The males do still hunt though, and if necessary, they will step in to defend their lionesses and/or cubs.
Writing Prompts:
Watch the video about the injured lioness again. Now write a story about her. How was she injured? Does she ever recover to where she is able to feed herself without the help of others in her pride?
Watch the video of “Lions” by Skillet again. Are there any instances in your life where you’ve had to walk like a lion? Choose one or more of them and write a fiction story about it.
In the video of the male lions hunting, there are people riding around in open vehicles watching and filming what is going on. I don’t think I would feel safe doing so, but the lions don’t seem to have any interest in the humans. Write a story about someone who works with lions and isn’t afraid to walk among them.
What if you woke up one morning and discovered that you were no longer in your bed? Instead, you find yourself sleeping on the ground in an African savanna. Not only that, but you’re no longer a human; you’re now a lion. Why did this happen? What do you do?
