Hakuna Momtata! If 'The Lion King' were real, Simba's mom would rule

Sonja Haller

More like Lion Queen.

Lion prides are matrilineal societies. That means if "The Lion King" were accurate, Simba's mom, Sarabi, would rule.

Where’s Mufasa? Where’s Simba?

Gone.

The male of the species is transitory, Craig Packer, director of The Lion Center at the University of Minnesota, explained to National Geographic.

"Females are the core. The heart and soul of the pride," Packer said. "The males come and go."

Disney’s fact-checking is woefully lacking. "If the 'The Lion King' were real, Nala would be the star," tweeted Erin Biba, who interviewed Packer for her story debunking the movie.

"Sarabi would be holding her up saying everything the light touches is our kingdom, Simba would have left and never come back, and when Nala got old enough Sarabi would have carved out a territory for her to rule."

No helicopter parenting here

That's right. Female lions are less helicopter pilot parents and more like real estate warriors demonstrating how to one-day run prides of their own. Biba wrote that 90% of the pride is related and if it gets too big, moms carve out new territory for their daughters next door.

As Biba writes, "a lion pride is all females, all the time."

Readers found the insight refreshing as the "The Lion King" remake premieres in theaters on July 18.

"This story really truly made my day, maybe even my week!" tweeted @proftinkerbell "Thank you for writing it."

Another reader said it was cringe-y to see female lions shrink from Scar and hyenas in the movie.

"It always galled me that the lionesses seemed to meekly submit to Scar when in fact they would have torn his hyenas to pieces then chased him into the ocean," @snurri commented.

Scar is actually sexy

The family of females hunt their food, guard their territory from intruders and decide which male lions they want hanging around the pride.

Males with the darker manes usually win out, Parker said. So in the case of "The Lion King," the dastardly Scar would have been the sexy one because of his black mane.

"Growing a black mane is a signal you’re genetically superior,” Parker said, adding that they indicate "good physical condition, higher levels of testosterone, and they’re more likely to withstand being wounded."

Where the pride lives, how well the pride flourishes and who the pride keeps company with, is all determined by moms. Lion Queens, if you will.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Lion King' isn't accurate. Female lions rule the pride