Underdog was an impressive superhero. He spoke in rhyme. He saved Sweet Polly Purebred every week. He was not bothered by collateral damage. He even had a great catchphrase:
There's no need to fear--
Underdog is here!
But when I think of underdogs in the future, I’ll be thinking of a porcupine.
This porcupine. The one that survived an encounter with 19 lions.
There was a time when scientists believed that the female lion was the hunter and the male lion lounged around all day, waiting for the female to bring home the bacon.
This assumption was made based upon scientific observation. It was not hard to see.
Female lions chased and killed their prey, and male lions did not.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about this.
Part of me was annoyed with the male lion for disparaging our sex by acting like a lazy, good-for-nothing freeloader. The lion is supposed to be the King of the Jungle, but he more closely resembled Archie Bunker.
But another part of my was impressed by the male lion’s ability to avoid hard work and allow someone else to do it for him. As a person who believes in delegating responsibility whenever possible, the male lion’s approach to hunting appealed to my ongoing desire to increase productivity.
Except he wasn’t exactly writing a novel, building a home or otherwise using his time wisely. He was rolling around in mud. Ideally strolling. Splashing in rivers. Napping.
I despise napping.
So I was conflicted. I wasn’t sure how I should feel about the male lion.
Not anymore.
Further research into lion behavior, conducted partly through the use of infrared drones, has discovered that male lions are just as active when it comes to hunting as female lions.
They simply hunt for efficiently.
Rather than chasing antelope on the savannah under the hot African sun, male lions hunt at night by locating a game trail and positioning themselves in an ideal spot for ambushing unsuspecting prey. They use considerably fewer calories in this type of hunting but are just as effective as finding and killing their prey as their female counterparts.
It turns out that male lions are actually better hunters than female lions.
It would be ridiculous for me to find joy in this newfound knowledge. Aside from both being male, lions and I have nothing in common.
Still, I do.
The King of the Jungle is once again deserving of that title.
Even better male lions have embraced my philosophy of life completely:
Accomplish as much as possible, as efficiently as possible.