Take two drawings of the head of a lion, one with and the other without the mane. You will see how much of the majesty of the king of the woods, as well as that of the lord of the earth, dwells in this free-flowing appendage.
Gowing's book was mainly concerned with full beards rather than neckbeards, but this quote got me thinking. The lion's mane isn't on the lion's chin. It's not on the lion's cheeks. Clearly, the lion has a neckbeard.
Lions aren't the only animals with neckbeard. The style is also found in many species of goat.
The bearded vulture has a small neckbeard. This bird is especially interesting since it's the only known animal whose diet consists almost exclusively of bone. That's pretty metal!
Finally, the pogona or bearded dragon is an interesting case. Although it doesn't have neck hair, the underside of its throat has spiny scales that expand and change colour when it feels threatened, very strongly resembling the neckbeard.
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