Oftentimes referred to as the “king of the jungle,” lions are highly social and intelligent creatures. These big cats are also critical to maintaining the health of their ecosystem, making them what scientists call a keystone species.

The team at National Geographic Society put together a perfect Sunday scroll with 25 images they love of lions. Included in the list is C-Boy, the African lion who defied death and was the subject of not only a National Geographic magazine story, but also received an obituary! While each image is captivating in its own right, we love this photo of a lion pushing on through a gritty wind in the Nossob Riverbed in Kalahari Gemsbok National Park, South Africa.

Go back in time with our archive for a glimpse at long-ago life in the U.S. national parks. Some things haven't changed—and some most certainly have.

Thanks for reading today’s newsletter, which was edited and curated by William O'Connor with the help of National Geographic’s photo team. It was produced by Amanda Petty. Did someone forward this to you? Sign up here to catch next week’s Photo of the Week newsletter.