Who is the king of the jungle?

We were talking and studying about dinosaurs in our class and a debate started in one of our small groups. We want to know who was king of the jungle in the past and who is king of the jungle now?

Is your answer a fact or your opinion?

Comments

[Micah]

Some people have said that the lion is the "King of the Jungle." But this cannot be true, since lions don't live in the jungle. They live on or near the plains.

I think that the gorilla is the proper king of the jungle. Gorillas are very strong. They can lift up to 10 times their own weight! They have no natural predators--except for people. They are also very gentle unless you try to hurt them first, a very important quality for a king, I think!

Of course, this is only my opinion, but I think that I'm right.

[David Weinberger]

I like Micah's answer because he states a fact to explain why lions can't be kings of the jungle, and then he gives us his opinion along with his reasons for his opinion. Plus, I like gorillas, too!

But I find it hard to figure out what a king is doing in the jungle. Real kings give orders and live in nicer buildings than everyone else. What does an animal king do? If you looked at every animal, how would you tell which one is the king?

I have another question: If you were to ask what animal is the queen of the jungle, would your answer be any different?

Thank you for letting me ask you my questions.

[adam]

Hi, room 209.

Who is the "king" of the jungle? You know, if you think about it for a little while, you may come up with a surprising answer. Here are two of mine:

- Ants. They may not be big, but they sure are mighty. Look at this page http://www.richard-seaman.com/Insects/CostaRica/LeafcutterAnts/ for some amazing images of ant columns and the things they build.

- Think even smaller than ants: bacteria. Did you know that, by weight (also called "biomass"), there are more bacteria than any other living thing on the planet? Or if you magically made every other living thing invisible, you could still see where they are by tracing the bacteria that live inside them? (You and me included!)

Bacteria do some incredible things in the web of jungle life: they help animals digest the food they eat, and return material from dead and decaying things in the jungle floor to use. Life wouldn't be possible without bacteria. (You and me included!)

So my advice, if you're looking for the "king" of a given situation, is to always look beyond the loud, obvious choices, the proud lions and fearsome tigers. Sometimes a great many small things are more powerful than even the strongest big thing.

[JayT]

Hi, Teacher and Class 209!

There are many good opinions expressed here, and many good facts as well!!

But have you ever heard your Mom or Dad say, or heard the phrase, "It's a JUNGLE out there!!"

So, in reading and talking about these interesting questions, it helps to have a common understanding of what we mean by "king" and "jungle". Perhaps the planet Earth IS a jungle, and the planet Earth IS the king of all us plants and animals?? I don't know, for sure, but I notice the planet Earth and the "Gaia" environment surrounding it, have lasted much longer than the bacteria and ants and the dinosaurs have...

But I don't know for sure, except I know this is A Good Question...! There are many good questions to talk about, and this is a good way to learn about kings and jungles and all that kind-a fun stuff.

Have a good day, and a good weekend too!!

:-D

[JayT]

Oh!! I just now noticed y'all are in Chicago!

I grew up in Evanston, a block from Dyche Stadium, until I was 14... We used to go to Chicago, once every while, for Sunday brunch or to Wrigley Field to see a Cubs' game.

As they say... "Small world"...!...;-D

[islamoyankee]

I have an opinion on who the king was then. I think it was the pterodactyl because they could fly. A T. rex couldn't reach them with its small arms, and triceratops was too short and brontosaurus was a vegetarian. The pterodactyl could fly anywhere and get its food from the ground, the trees and the cliffs. They could see really far distances from the sky, which I think is just cool.

Now, I think the king of beasts is the queen bee. She gets to control a whole hive of servants; gets all the honey she wants and lives in a really nice hive.

The animal who is king is my cat. I have to feed him, wash him, play with him; basically I have to do whatever he wants. Since I like my house, I think he lives in a nice place, and all he does is sleep in the warm sun all day.

[Chris]

I will answer your question with an interesting questions of my own - "Is Man the King of the Jungle? Why?"

[fp]

I think that Damian Aspinall is a good candidate for King of the Jungle. At least I would think that if King was an elected position. Mr. Aspinall's father founded Howletts, a Wild Animal Park in England. While the people at Howletts have taken very good care of the animals over the years, the best news is that Mr. Aspinall has begun to return some of them to the wild! Gorillas, rhinoceroses, and elephants are among the animals that the Aspinall family has bred in captivity and returned to the wild.

You can learn more about Howletts Wild Animal Park here: http://www.howletts.net

[Demi]

I think the "king of the jungle" is the one who protects his subjects, even if he has to die to save them. To be a king is to rule, but even more, it is to protect the group.

Love,
Demi

PS: Study hard! :)

[Trevor Bechtel]

I think that the Anaconda is the king of the jungle. Anaconda's are very big and very strong. I always think of water when I think of the jungle and the Anaconda likes to be in the water. This is my opinion

[AKMA]

If we decide whos the King of the Jungle on the basis of whos the most fearsome ferocious animal, I would say that the King used to be the Saber-Toothed Tiger, because I get shiver just seeing pictures of them. They didnt live in jungles, and they werent proper tigers, but anyone who wanted to be King of the Jungle would have to be awfully ferocious to out-do a Saber-Tooth.

Now, I think people might be Kings and Queens of the Jungle. But since one by one, unarmed people arent so very frightening, perhaps Mountain Gorillas, or Lions, or Elephants could claim to be king. Id vote for Siberian Tigers, though, because theyre not only terribly ferocious, but awesomely beautiful, too.

[Tom]

The king of the jungle in the past was whichever creature it was who thought he ruled all he could see (like Yertle the Turtle), but always had to look around to make sure a tribe of laughing monkeys, or a tag team of velociraptors, or a giant sticky spider's web wasn't just over his shoulder.

The king of the jungle today is Stephen Spielberg.

This is not so much opinion as what is called conjecture. Merely a guess. I'm very glad you asked.

[naomi zamudio]

I think that Jesus is the king of the jungle
because he created the jungle.

[Mrs. Zamudio]

Keep up the good work room 209. I am proud of you all and I know that you have had a very productive and educational school year. Have an awesome summer and I know you will do well in the third grade. Take care room 209.

[Margaret]

I'm still thinking about monarchy in the jungle--thanks for raising the question. But I'm thinking even harder about what is the difference between fact and opinion. This is a question that I wonder about a lot. In your class, how do you tell the difference?

[Mike]

Hi, room 209! For me, there is no king of the jungle. The jungle, and the power of nature that it represents, is bigger and more powerful than anything inside it. I agree with David that real kings (and queens) give orders, but you can't really order the jungle around.

[John]

There is no king in the jungle. Long ago, before we began writing down history, all of the animals met at the center of the jungle and decided to abolish all arbitrary and artificial distinctions between themselves. I hope this answer makes sense to you. I'm not sure I would have understood it when I was your age, but you sound much smarter than I was at your age.

[JayT]

Looking forward to any replies from the Teachers or The Students, btw, if any...;-D And hope most-a you all had a great weekend, and have a good week, too!!

[Daniel X. O'Neil]

Great work, kids!
Keep it up!

[Liz]

Hello, class! These are two excellent questions. Long ago, when Americans and Europeans started recording the behavior of animals, they put interpretations (opinions) on the behavior they saw. Long ago, men were the bosses of everything, and men said women were not very good thinkers or managers. So when they were watching elephants (for example), they saw the male elephants as "the kings" and the female elephants as not doing very much except raising babies. Years and years later, people got into the habit of describing things very accurately without putting interpretations on them. Animal researchers recorded that the female elephants lived together and raised their babies together. It was usually an older female elephant who lead the herd. The male elephants sort of lived outside of the circle of the herd and didn't do much with the female elephants and the babies.

My opinon is that "king of the jungle" is a human idea that doesn't have much to do with what actually goes on in any real jungle.

[Tripp]

Ooo...good question.

I am a fan of the saying "The lion is the king of the jungle." But Micah is right. The lion does not live in the jungle. So, who or what is the King of the Jungle?

I would say that the monkey is. I say this because he talks a lot. Kings talk a lot. So, a monkey must be a good king. Right?

Do you think someone who speaks well (or a lot) make a good king?