The male of the species, Panthera leo, does look regal enough with his black mane and tufted tail. He does little of the hunting and claims more than his share of the kills made by the females. He looks and acts, well.. kingly... however he, nor the rest of the species lives in the jungle. He may be more correctly called King of the Beasts (and often is). The Tiger is more appropriately King of the Jungle. One site adds - Meet Kiros. His name, of African origin, means "king." The etymology of the phrase is unclear, however...