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Mathematicians confused by biologists saying cells multiply by dividing

This is a single-panel meme. The top part has black text on a white background reading: first line "Biologists: Cells multiply by dividing", second line "Mathematicians:". Below the text is a widely recognized photo of a poorly made lion taxidermy with a lopsided, wide-eyed, confused and awkwardly amused expression, positioned in front of dark window blinds. The joke plays on a terminology contradiction: in biology, cell division is the process that makes the total number of cells multiply (increase in count), but for mathematicians, "multiplying by dividing" is an oxymoron, as multiply and divide are opposite arithmetic operations, so the confused lion represents the mathematician's reaction to this phrasing.
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Biologists: Cells multiply by dividing
Mathematicians:

Overview

This is a single-panel meme. The top part has black text on a white background reading: first line "Biologists: Cells multiply by dividing", second line "Mathematicians:". Below the text is a widely recognized photo of a poorly made lion taxidermy with a lopsided, wide-eyed, confused and awkwardly amused expression, positioned in front of dark window blinds. The joke plays on a terminology contradiction: in biology, cell division is the process that makes the total number of cells multiply (increase in count), but for mathematicians, "multiplying by dividing" is an oxymoron, as multiply and divide are opposite arithmetic operations, so the confused lion represents the mathematician's reaction to this phrasing.

Origin notes

This meme is sourced from the X.com (formerly Twitter) account @WholesomeMeme, distributed via RSS feed. The lion image used is a viral photo of a badly executed taxidermy lion originally displayed at the Cité du Vin museum in Bordeaux, France, which has been a popular reaction meme template for conveying confusion, bewilderment or awkward amusement for years. This specific version adds custom text to the existing template to create the cross-discipline science and math joke.

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