Discover the Largest Lion Statues in the World

Written by Colby Maxwell
Published: March 22, 2023
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There are a lot of lion statues found all over the world and saying which one is larger is a bit tough! Originally, we were going to look at the single largest statue in the world, but as the research kept piling up, it became clear that a single answer wasn’t going to cut it. Let’s get started and learn about some of the most interesting lion statues in the world and how they were made.

The Two Largest Lion Statues in the World

With an initial Google, the average person may think that finding the largest lion statue in the world was easy. Although Google currently provides a simple answer, that doesn’t mean it is the correct one! In fact, there are probably two lions that are roughly equal in size, making the competition for the largest lion statue in the world a tough one. Both lion statues are huge, but they are quite different in their materials and even how they are shaped. Let’s learn about them both.

The Oriental Lion

A social media image of the Oriental Lion statue featuring a man standing next to it for comparison.

The Oriental Lion statue is a giant roaring lion carved from a single redwood tree trunk. It is the largest sculpture made with this type of wood and has entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest redwood statue in the world. The statue is located in the center of Fortune Plaza Times Square, the main square of Wuhan, China. In many Asian cultures, lions symbolize power and protection from evil spirits and as such, they are often seen in front of temples, palaces and other important places. Altogether, the Oriental Lion statue is 14.5 meters (47.57 feet) long, 5 meters (16.4 feet) high and 4 meters (13.12 feet) wide. Even outside of its record as a wooden statue, it is one of the largest statues of a lion in the world.

The statue was made by a Chinese architect named Dengding Rui Yao and his team of 20 sculptors and took a total of three years to complete. It was originally made in Myanmar and then transported over 3000 miles to its current location. If any tree deserves to be used in the construction of the worlds largest wooden statue, it is most definitely the redwood tree!

The Maiwand Lion

The Maiwand Lion is a large cast iron statue of a lion that stands as a war memorial in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was sculpted by George Blackall Simonds and unveiled in 1886 to honour the soldiers of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment who died in the Battle of Maiwand in Afghanistan in 1880. The lion is one of the world’s largest cast iron statues and weighs 16 tons. It is located in the Forbury Gardens, a public park near Reading Abbey. The lion has a fierce expression and a raised tail, which likely came from some careful observation of lions at London Zoo, of which there are quite a few rumors and stories associated. The statue has been featured on local newspapers, football club crests, and half marathon medals. It is also associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s character Doctor Watson, who was based on a medical officer of the regimen.

The lion stands 9.4 meters (31 feet) long and 3.7 meters (12 feet) high. Although it isn’t technically as long as the Oriental Lion, it is extremely heavy due to its cast iron construction. Additionally, the pedestal that it stands on, if included, would make it considerably taller. In fact, the lion is so heavy that at one point, the terracotta pedastal that it stands on began to crack and had to be replaced. For reference, the 16 tonne sculpture weighs about as much as a fully loaded garbage truck, all sitting on top of a stone pedestal.

A Winner?

San Diego Zoo sculpture "Rex's Roar"

©HannaTor/Shutterstock.com

Picking a winner between these two statues is pretty tough, especially if you consider weight a factor. If you want the longest lion statue in the world, the answer is probably The Oriental Lion, and if you want the heaviest lion statue in the world, it’s probably The Maiwand Lion.

There are always new sculptures and statues being created and the record held by either of these giants could be beat! For example, another massive lion statue was constructed in the San Diego Zoo and measures 27-feet tall. The bronze sculpture, named Rex the Lion, is the largest cantilever bronze animal statue in the world!

As far as we are concerned, we think they are all winners!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © ThePhotographerSL/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Colby is a writer at A-Z Animals primarily covering outdoors, unique animal stories, and science news. Colby has been writing about science news and animals for five years and holds a bachelor's degree from SEU. A resident of NYC, you can find him camping, exploring, and telling everyone about what birds he saw at his local birdfeeder.

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