Aristocrats

The lion is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. It has been depicted as "king of the jungle" and "king of beasts", and thus became a popular symbol of royalty and stateliness. In sub-Saharan Africa, the lion has been a common character in stories, proverbs, and dances. In the Swahili language, the lion is known as simba which also means "aggressive", "king" and "strong". Some rulers even had the word "lion" in ...
their nickname. In the Eastern world, the lion was a prominent symbol and was also strongly associated with kingship. Indo-Persian chroniclers regarded the lion as a keeper of order in the realm of animals. Less

This, without exaggeration, stately raptor is one of the best-known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. For centuries, the Golden eagle has been one of the most highly regarded birds used in falconry. Due to its hunting prowess, the bird is regarded with great mystic reverence in some ancient, tribal cultures. Most early-recorded cultures regarded the Golden eagle with reverence. For example, in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, the eagle was a ...
major Mexica (Aztec) symbol: the tribal and sun god, Huitzilopochtli, had told his people that when they saw the sun (i.e., Huitzilopochtli) in the form of an eagle perched on a cactus whose fruit was red and shaped like a human heart, there they should build their city, Tenochtitlan. Less

The leopard has featured in the art, mythology, and folklore of many countries. In Greek mythology, it was a symbol of the god Dionysus, who was depicted wearing leopard skin and using leopards as means of transportation. During the Benin Empire, the leopard was commonly represented on engravings and sculptures and was used to symbolize the power of the king or oba (ruler); since then leopard was considered the king of the forest. Some African ...
cultures even considered the leopard to be a smarter, better hunter than the lion and harder to kill. Less

The Bald eagle is the national bird of the United States and appears on its seal. In the late 20th century this noble bird of prey was on the brink of extirpation in the contiguous United States. It is a powerful flier and can reach speeds of 56-70 km/h (35-43 mph) when gliding and flapping, and about 48 km/h (30 mph) while carrying fish. Since the Bald eagle is a sacred bird in some North American cultures, its feathers, like those of the ...
Golden eagle, are valued in many religious and spiritual customs among Native Americans. Eagles are considered spiritual messengers between gods and humans by some cultures. The Lakota, for instance, give an eagle feather as a symbol of honor to a person who achieves a task, while the Choctaw considered the Bald eagle, who has direct contact with the upper world of the sun, as a symbol of peace. Less

Emperor penguins definitely deserve to be called "royal" not only for being the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species but also for their unique life cycle in such a harsh environment. They are the only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, the coldest environment of any bird species! Air temperatures there may reach −40 °C (−40 °F), and wind speeds may reach 144 km/h (89 mph). The water temperature is a frigid ...
−1.8 °C (28.8 °F) and is much lower than the penguin's average body temperature of 39 °C (102 °F). There Emperor penguins trek 50-120 km (31-75 mi) over the ice to huge breeding colonies where the female will lay only a single egg. The lifespan of Emperor penguins in a such harsh environment is typically 20 years in the wild, although some individuals may live up to 50 years of age! Less

The gyrfalcon is the largest of the falcon species and for centuries, it has been valued as a hunting bird. In the medieval era, the gyrfalcon was considered a royal bird, and falconry has been a royal sport in Europe. Due to its rarity and the difficulties involved in obtaining it, in European falconry the gyrfalcon was reserved for kings and nobles; very rarely was a man of lesser rank seen with a gyrfalcon on his fist. Less

The King cobra is the sole member of its genus and it differs from other cobras, most noticeably by its size and neck patterns. It is the world's longest venomous snake, with an average length of 3.18 to 4 m (10.4 to 13.1 ft), and may reach a maximum of 5.85 m (19.2 ft)! The King cobra is native to jungles in Southern and Southeast Asia and its skin color varies across the habitats, from black with white stripes to unbroken brownish grey. Unlike ...
other snakes, the King cobra rarely hunts rodents or lizards and preys chiefly on other snakes, including its own species. Regarded as the national reptile of India, the King cobra plays an important role in the mythology and folk traditions of India, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. Less

This spectacular brightly-colored bird is native to India and significant in its culture. The country adopted the peacock as its national bird in 1963 and it is one of the national symbols of India. The bird represented elegance and royalty in India during medieval times. Peafowls were often kept as ornaments in large gardens and estates. In Buddhist philosophy, peacocks also represent wisdom and their feathers are used in many rituals and ...
ornamentation. In Persia and Babylonia, the peacock is also seen as a guardian of royalty and is often engraved upon royal thrones. Less

The King penguin is the second largest species of penguin. It is smaller but somewhat similar in appearance to the Emperor penguin. Emperor and King penguins typically do not inhabit the same areas in the wild, but the two can readily be distinguished from one another by the King's longer, straighter bill, larger flippers, and noticeably sleeker body. King penguins are notable for their swimming and diving skills. On foraging trips, they ...
repeatedly dive to over 100 meters (300 ft) and have been recorded at depths greater than 300 meters (1,000 ft). The average swimming speed of these colorful birds is 6.5-10 km/h (4-6 mph). Because of their large size, King penguin chicks take 14-16 months before they are ready to go to the sea which is markedly different from smaller penguins. Adults time their mating so the chicks will develop over the harshest season for fishing; by the time the young are finally mature enough to leave their parents it is summer - food is plentiful and conditions are more favorable for them to survive alone at sea. Less

These nonvenomous colubrid snakes occur in the western United States and northern Mexico. The "king" in their name comes from their tendency to hunt and eat other snakes. California kingsnakes can even eat venomous rattlesnakes as they are naturally resistant to their venom. They kill prey by constriction; California kingsnakes are the strongest constrictors proportionate to the body size of any snakes. This adaptation may have evolved in ...
response to their preferred reptilian prey, which needs less oxygen to survive an attack by constriction than mammalian prey items. Less

These seabirds receive their “royal” name from their size. They are large birds being second only to the Caspian tern. Their generic name Thalasseus is Ancient Greek and means "sea", while the specific epithet maximus is Latin and is translated as "greatest". Royal terns usually hunt about 100 meters (110 yards) of the shore and dive into the water from heights near 30 feet (9.1 meters). They prefer to feed alone or in small groups; however, ...
they may sometimes gather in large groups when hunting large schools of fish and the groups of Royal terns are called "highness". Less

Ball pythons or the Royal pythons are nonvenomous snakes that can be found in Africa. They are one of the most common reptiles bred in captivity and are often bred for specific patterns or morphs. In northwestern Ghana, there is a taboo towards these beautiful snakes as people consider them a savior and can’t hurt or eat them. According to folklore a python once helped them flee from their enemies by transforming into a log to allow them to ...
cross a river. The Igbo people in southeastern Nigeria consider Royal pythons symbolic of the earth, being an animal that travels so close to the ground. Even Christian Igbos treat ball pythons with great care whenever they come across one in a village or on someone's property; they either let them roam or pick them up gently and return them to a forest or field away from houses. If one is accidentally killed, many communities on Igbo land still build a coffin for the snake's remains and give it a short funeral. Less