The King of Forest

The King of Forest

The lion has a plain pale yellow or sandy coat but the tiger has black-stripes on yellow and black or white coat. The leopard is recognized by its black spots on tawny yellow coat. The leopard’s spot appear in clusters resembling a rosette, whereas the cheetah has solid black individual spots. Cheetah is a kind of Indian leopard called hunting leopard which has now died out. Some times one comes across a leopard that is entirely, called panther.


The male lion, when fully grown, has thick and shaggy mane of very long hair, which falls from the neck, shoulders and part of the chin. The lioness has no mane. Even in the male lion the mane doesn’t develop until the animal has completed his third year.

Tiger and leopards have no mane.

The leopard can climb a tree well, the tiger climbs badly. A lion can not climb a tree at all.

Lions prefer open country to heavy forest. Lions roar more often tigers do. They roar frequently at night and sometimes during the day. A lion is so powerful and muscular that he can strike down a buffalo with a single blow of his paw.

Lions we found mostly in the Gir forest in Gujarat in India. Formerly lions were common in northern and central India. But they often attacked animals so they were hunted and killed. In Africa, the lion still reigns supreme as the most powerful animal.

The lion is called the king of the jungle. So is the tiger. But they do not live like human kings. They have to hunt for their food.

Lion and tigers have the largest eyes amongst animals, excellent vision, as also an acute sense of hearing. They have sharp, long, canine and incisor teeth for tearing flesh.