When Dr. Dani Rabaiotti, an ecologist who researches African wild dogs, joked on Twitter that lions were “super boring” in the wild, she was immediately set upon by people she has since nicknamed “lion bros,” who accused her of misrepresenting their favorite animal. As Dr. Rabaiotti explained, you’re almost guaranteed to find wild lions either sleeping or stealing food from smaller carnivores. One lion bro doubled down on their accusations, however, never conceding that lions may not be the noble beasts they’re often made out to be. Lion bros are a unique type of reply guy who cling to stereotypes about lions to back up their belief that patriarchy exists in nature—another headache for women scientists who post about their work online. 

The typical stereotype of the lion is embodied in its nickname: King of the Jungle. For many, the image of a lion that immediately comes to mind is that of a ferocious, muscular, and male creature. For some, the image that exists in the public consciousness serves as evidence of dominant male leadership in the animal world. Lion imagery appeals to those who want to see societal gender roles as natural. If male lions hold domain over both their pride and the animal kingdom, it lends scientific legitimacy to those who believe in natural male superiority. Transphobes will also point to superficial sexual difference in lions as proof that sex is binary, and that cisgendered human men should rule over all others. 

Lion bros admire lions with a fervor, to the point that they will purposefully ignore or even argue with science that refutes this “King of the Jungle” image. But these images of lions are common even outside of the imaginations of reply guys. Movies like “The Lion King,” popular science websites, and wildlife social media accounts can perpetuate masculine stereotypes of lion behavior. According to lionalert.org, “Lions are the kings of the jungle because of their raw power and strength. Lions fear no other animals […].” National Geographic WILD, meanwhile, has claimed that lion fathers “babysit” their cubs while the females hunt—feeding into the stereotype that raising young is a task for females and that male parental care is only ever a favor.

Most of the hyper-masculine stereotypes about lions have, in fact, been refuted by those who study them. First and foremost: the females are in charge. Male lions rarely remain in any one pride long enough to significantly alter social dynamics, but females stay together for life. One of the more commonly known facts about lionesses is that they do virtually all of the hunting for the pride. Though male lions are capable of hunting in small bonded coalitions, a hunt is more likely to be successful with a larger group of hunters—as in a pride of females. Pride structures are more egalitarian than monarchical; female lions hunt for the rest of the pride, share the kill with all members whether they participated in the hunt or not, and care for cubs communally. A common misconception is that single male lions live among prides of females, but the most successful males in terms of mating and producing offspring actually live in prides with multiple bonded males who also display “no detectable hierarchy” between them. 

Lion bros are quick to point out that male lions are needed to protect their pride, but we know that groups of female lions are more than capable of protecting themselves and their young from invading males. Although males do spend their few waking hours patrolling their territories for potential intruders—often other male lions—females are just as likely to defend or expand their territory if necessary. Female lions also initiate mating, which counters the stereotype that the female is subservient to the male in a pride structure. As for the transphobic argument that superficial differences in animals prove the gender binary in humans, it is well documented that some male lions don’t possess manes and some females do, just as human secondary sexual characteristics vary widely between individuals.

When presented with facts about lions that don’t fit their hyper-masculine stereotypes, lion bros are reluctant to change their tune. Rather than learn more about the actual behaviors of their favorite animal, they cling to what they believe about the lions and argue with those who tell them otherwise. Ironically, lion bros are quick to accuse scientists of “anthropomorphizing” lions when they debunk stereotypes, even though they themselves are the ones projecting traits associated with human masculinity values onto male lions.

Women who study carnivores and do science communication on Twitter are often met with bad-faith questions about the legitimacy of their knowledge while talking about lion research. When wildlife conservationist Femke Broekhuis tweeted a photo of a maned lioness in Botswana, commenters posted derogatory jokes about feminist lions and their preferred pronouns in the replies. After reporting for National Geographic that lion prides are matrilineal, and that the role of male lions is greatly overstated in pop culture, science journalist Erin Biba was bombarded with accusations of not doing the proper research. One lion bro called her reporting “biased female opinion,” despite the fact that the scientist she interviewed for the article is a man.

The people who admire lions for their “natural” masculinity are more concerned about confirming their belief that male animals are superior to females than with scientific accuracy. Adjusting their beliefs about lions to be more scientifically accurate would mean admitting there is no sexual hierarchy in nature—and no such thing as a “king” in the natural world.

Image credit: Engraving of two male lions fighting, captioned Natural Representation Of Lions Found In Africa, by Royce ca. 1782 (New York Public Library | Public Domain)