The lion evokes a vision of majesty. At close quarters, its magnetic gaze transfixes into helpless immobility. It is the lion’s roar, however, that transcends this mesmerising impact in proximity. Among all the big cats, it is the lion that has the loudest roar. So loud that it can be heard up to 8 kilometres away. At a distance of a metre, the roar’s sound reaches 114 decibels. The human pain threshold regarding sound is around 110 decibels; so, standing close to a roaring lion sends shivers down the spine and causes physical pain in the ears. Science is at work here in the form of the unique characteristics of the lion’s vocal cords in its larynx. In other species, the vocal cords are triangular in shape and protrude into the throat. In a lion, fat deposits within the vocal cord ligament make the protrusions flat and square, allowing for the air pushed out from the lungs to have a larger surface area for vibration and generate sound waves that are approximately 25 times louder than a lawn mower.Why did the science of creation make this unique intervention? Several reasons have been identified by zoologists and wildlife biologists – establishing and defending territory; coordinating and maintaining social bonding within the pride; mating calls; – but perhaps most importantly, health and well being: “I exist! Against all odds.”
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