The Archives

An encyclopaedia of the lions of the wild: their names, their prides, their reigns and their legacies.

Bob JuniorDeceasedBob Junior Snyggvec. 2010 – 11 March 2023Ruled the Namiri Plains of the eastern Serengeti with his brother Marley for around seven years.Read the full record ScarfaceDeceasedScarface Scarc. 2007 – 11 June 2021One of the Four Musketeers, he ruled the Marsh and Paradise prides of the Masai Mara and died of old age at about 14.Read the full record C-BoyDeceasedC-Boy Bobc. 2004 – June 2018Survived an attack by the notorious Killers, ruled the Vumbi and Simba East prides with Hildur, and fathered Bob Junior and Marley.Read the full record HildurFate unknownHildur Ziggyc. 2004 – unknownC-Boy’s golden-maned coalition partner, famous for his long runs across the plains and for outliving C-Boy.Read the full record MarleyPresumed deadMarley Tryggve, Joelc. 2010 – March 2023Bob Junior’s brother and lifelong coalition partner, who shared the rule of the Namiri Plains for about seven years.Read the full record NotchDeceasedNotch Kalic. 1999 – 2013King of the Marsh Pride who, after losing it, raised his five sons into one of the most powerful coalitions the Masai Mara has seen.Read the full record Notch IIPresumed deadNotch II Notch 2c. 2005 – c. 2020Eldest-named son of Notch and the last survivor of the Notch Coalition, who in old age formed a second father-and-son coalition with his own son, Spear Boy.Read the full record RonDeceasedRon Ron of the Notch Boysc. 2005 – 2016One of the five sons of Notch and a member of the Notch Coalition for nearly a decade, until he went missing in mid-2016, reportedly killed by the Sand River males.Read the full record CPresumed deadCaesar The Giant of the Notch Boysc. 2005 – August 2017One of the five sons of Notch, remembered as the largest of the brothers, who held the Lookout Hill prides in the Notch Coalition’s last years and was last seen in August 2017.Read the full record GrimaceDisappearedGrimace Grimace of the Notch Boysc. 2005 – 2013The youngest of Notch’s five sons, known for his lighter mane and grimacing face, who vanished in rival territory in 2013, a few months after his father.Read the full record MDisappearedMorani The Last Musketeerc. 2007 – c. 2023One of the Four Musketeers and the last survivor of the coalition, who outlived Scarface and vanished about two years later.Read the full record SDeceasedSikio The Musketeerc. 2007 – c. 2020/21One of the Four Musketeers, he helped rule the Marsh and Paradise prides and died after a fight with rival males.Read the full record HDeceasedHunter The First to Fallc. 2007 – 2017One of the Four Musketeers and the first of the four brothers to die, in 2017.Read the full record SFate unknownSpear Boy Spearboyc. 2013 – c. 2023Son of Notch II and grandson of Notch, crippled by a herder’s spear as a young male, who survived for years on three good legs.Read the full record RFate unknownRon II Ron 2Unknown – unknownA Mara male of the Notch bloodline, named by guides for his striking likeness to Ron, who with his partner Grimace II challenged Scarface’s coalition in 2017.Read the full record CDisappearedCaesar II Caesar 2c. 2010 – c. 2022One of the Rekero males, grandsons of Notch who left the Rekero Pride, took over the prides of Naboisho Conservancy and fathered much of the next generation of Mara lions.Read the full record MDeceasedMr. T Satanc. 2002 – 16 March 2012The mohawk-maned fighter of the Mapogo coalition, who ruled the Sabi Sand with his brothers for six years and died fighting four young Selati males in March 2012.Read the full record KDeceasedKinky Tail Shakac. 2002 – 8 June 2010Mr. T’s brother and closest partner in the Mapogo coalition, who held the eastern Sabi Sand with him for about two years and died charging four Majingilane males alone in June 2010.Read the full record MPresumed deadMakulu Makhuluc. 1998 – c. 2013The oldest and largest of the six Mapogos, an outsider who joined the Sparta Pride as a youngster, led the coalition through its six-year reign and outlived all five of his brothers.Read the full record PDeceasedPretty Boy Bent Spinec. 2001 – late November 2012The best-looking of the six Mapogos, who held the western Sabi Sand with Makulu, survived two battles that left him with a damaged spine, and stayed at Makulu’s side until he died as a nomad in late 2012.Read the full record RDisappeared, presumed deadRasta Leonidasc. 2001 – mid-2010Pretty Boy’s look-alike “twin” and one of the five Mapogo brothers, who held the western Sabi Sand with Makulu and vanished without trace in the winter of 2010.Read the full record DDeceasedDreadlocks Snip Tailc. 2001 – late 2010One of the five Mapogo brothers, who held the western Sabi Sand with Makulu, Pretty Boy and Rasta and was killed in a snare outside the reserve at the end of 2010.Read the full record CDeceasedCecil The Mangisihole Boyc. 2002 – 2 July 2015The black-maned lion of Hwange National Park, studied by Oxford researchers for seven years, whose killing by a trophy hunter in July 2015 caused outrage around the world.Read the full record OPresumed deadOlobor Oloborrc. August 2017 – January 2024The strongest and most aggressive of the five Black Rock brothers, who ruled the Rongai and Maji ya Fisi prides of the Masai Mara until he was reportedly speared by herders in January 2024.Read the full record ODeceasedOloshipa Orpadanc. August 2017 – late September 2025The hunter of the Black Rock Boys and Olobor’s closest partner, who held the Rongai and Fig Tree prides with Oloimina until he was killed by rival males in September 2025.Read the full record LDeceasedLorkulup Quan Quanc. August 2017 – late January 2025The gentlest of the five Black Rock Boys and a rare lone buffalo hunter, who survived a spearing and a snake bite before he was found dead beside an eland in January 2025, in circumstances that are still disputed.Read the full record OLivingOloimina Oluminac. August 2017 – presentThe smallest of the five Black Rock brothers, lame since youth, who outlived all four of the others and now holds the Rongai and Fig Tree prides alone.Read the full record ODisappeared, presumed deadOloisiadu Olosiaduc. August 2017 – late 2021The cautious fifth brother of the Black Rock Boys, who helped take the Rongai Pride in 2021 and vanished without trace later that year, at about four years old.Read the full record BDeceasedBibi The Grandmother of the MarshJuly 1998 – 6 December 2015The longest-lived lioness of the Marsh Pride, star of the BBC’s Big Cat Diary, who survived a buffalo attack as a cub and life as an outcast mother before she was poisoned by herders in 2015 at 17.Read the full record EDeceasedElsa Elsa the Lionessc. 28 January 1956 – 24 January 1961The orphaned cub raised by Joy and George Adamson who became the first lioness known to be returned successfully to the wild, and whose story, Born Free, changed how the world saw lions.Read the full record MFate unknownMa di Tau Mother of LionsFilmed in the late 2000sThe lioness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta whose fight to save her cubs from a rival pride, crocodiles and buffalo became the National Geographic film The Last Lions.Read the full record LDeceasedLady Liuwa The Last Lionessc. 2000 – 9 August 2017The only lion left alive on Zambia’s Liuwa Plain after poaching wiped out the rest, who lived alone for years before a new pride was built around her, and died at about 17.Read the full record KDisappearedKamunyak The Blessed Onec. 1999 – last seen c. 2004A young lioness of Kenya’s Samburu reserve who, from December 2001, adopted at least six newborn oryx calves, her natural prey, and guarded them as her own.Read the full record SFate not confirmedSummer Queen of the PrideFilmed c. 2021 – 2025The ageing queen of a great Masai Mara pride and mother of Kio, whose devotion to her last cub is the heart of the 2026 National Geographic series LION.Read the full record WFate unknownWinter Summer’s SisterFilmed c. 2021 – 2025One of the three sister lionesses, with Summer and Autumn, who lead the great Masai Mara pride followed in National Geographic’s LION.Read the full record AFate unknownAutumn Summer’s SisterFilmed c. 2021 – 2025One of the three sister lionesses, with Summer and Winter, who lead the great Masai Mara pride followed in National Geographic’s LION.Read the full record KLivingKio Kiongozic. 2021 – presentThe youngest of seven brothers, followed by National Geographic from eight weeks old until he and his brothers, the Topi Boys, took the famous Marsh Pride.Read the full record DPresumed deadDark Mane Dark-maned Majingilanec. 2004 – 2018The most dominant of the four Majingilane males, who ruled almost half of the Sabi Sand for eight years and was the last of his coalition to go, vanishing in 2018.Read the full record SDeceasedScar Nose Scar-nosed Majingilanec. 2004 – 2018The scar-nosed second-in-command of the Majingilane, Dark Mane’s constant partner, who died in early 2018 after eight years ruling the Sabi Sand.Read the full record HDeceasedHip Scar Hip-scarred Majingilanec. 2004 – February 2017The limping, scar-hipped Majingilane who always brought up the rear, yet charged into every fight for his brothers, and was the first of the four to die, in 2017.Read the full record GDeceasedGolden Mane Missing Caninec. 2004 – early 2018The golden-maned Majingilane, also known as the Missing Canine male, third in rank of the four, who died in early 2018 after being injured by a buffalo.Read the full record MFate unknownManywele Manywele of the Inselbergsc. 2013/14 – presentThe dark-maned Inselberg male, often seen as the leading member of the coalition after 2022, who was reported missing for many months in 2026.Read the full record RLivingRuka Ruka of the Inselbergsc. 2013/14 – presentThe torn-eared Inselberg male who lost much of the sight of one eye in a fight with his own brother, and was still holding ground in the Mara Triangle in 2026.Read the full record NLivingNusu Nusu of the Inselbergsc. 2013/14 – presentThe Inselberg male named for his half-broken tooth, one of the last two of his coalition still reported in the Mara Triangle in 2026.Read the full record OFate unknownOlopolosie Gingerc. 2013/14 – presentThe fifth Inselberg male, unnamed for years and probably the lion also called Ginger, reported unseen for many months in 2026.Read the full record SDeceasedSlit Lip Slitlipc. 2013/14 – July 2022The cleft-lipped Inselberg male who often stayed alone with the prides, and was caught and killed by rival males in July 2022, the first of his coalition to die.Read the full record CLivingChongo Scarnosec. 2020 – presentThe biggest and most dominant of the seven Saba Bora brothers, first nicknamed BK for Bob Junior Killer, later blinded in one eye by buffalo.Read the full record KLivingKiduku Chongo’s Shadowc. 2020 – presentThe mohawk-maned Saba Bora brother who almost never leaves Chongo’s side, and one of the three young males who killed Bob Junior in March 2023.Read the full record ULivingUlimi Mbili Two Tonguesc. 2020 – presentThe Saba Bora brother with a forked tongue and the most fearsome face of the seven, who often keeps apart from the others.Read the full record NDisappeared, presumed deadNdhuna The Adopted Matimbac. 2001 – 2012The older outsider who was adopted into the Birmingham Pride and became the sixth and eldest Matimba, before vanishing in 2012.Read the full record SDeceasedShaka The Matimba with Piercing Eyesc. 2006/07 – c. 2016The Northern Matimba known for his piercing pale eyes, who ruled Ngala and northern Manyeleti with Slit Nose and White Face until he was killed around 2016.Read the full record SDeceasedSlit Nose Slitnosec. 2006/07 – January 2017The split-nosed Northern Matimba who held Ngala and northern Manyeleti with his brothers until the Avoca males killed him in January 2017.Read the full record WDeceasedWhite Face Whitefacec. 2006/07 – December 2017The pale-faced Northern Matimba who outlived Shaka and Slit Nose, held the Skorro Pride alone, and died of old age in December 2017.Read the full record HDeceasedHairy Belly The Last Matimbac. 2006 – early 2021The long-lived Southern Matimba who fought the Mapogos, Majingilane and Birmingham males, raised the Majingilane’s last cubs, and was the last of the six to die, at about 15.Read the full record GDeceasedGinger Ginger Matimbac. 2006/07 – August 2019The ginger-maned Southern Matimba who fought beside Hairy Belly for years, helped take the Othawa Pride in 2018, and died of severe mange in August 2019.Read the full record CFate unknownChristian The Lion from World’s End12 August 1969 – last seen 1973The zoo-born cub bought at Harrods in 1969, raised in a Chelsea flat and returned to the Kenyan wild by George Adamson, whose 1971 reunion hug became one of the most watched wildlife videos ever.Read the full record MDeceasedMarjan The Lion of Kabul1976 – 25 January 2002The Kabul Zoo lion who lived through a coup, a Soviet occupation, a civil war and the Taliban, survived a grenade attack in 1995, and became a symbol of survival for Afghans.Read the full record LFate unknownLeo Leo the Lionc. 1956 – unknownThe young lion filmed in 1957 for the opening of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s films, the longest-serving and only one of MGM’s eight lions actually named Leo.Read the full record TDeceasedThe First Tsavo Man-Eater FMNH 23970 · the standing lion? – 9 December 1898The hungrier of the two maneless Tsavo brothers, with a broken, abscessed canine, who ate most of their human victims and was shot by Patterson on 9 December 1898.Read the full record TDeceasedThe Second Tsavo Man-Eater FMNH 23969 · the crouching lion? – 29 December 1898The second maneless Tsavo brother, who survived twenty days after his brother’s death and was killed by Patterson on 29 December 1898 after taking nine shots.Read the full record SDeceasedSilver Eye The Silver-Eyed LionessDied after c. 2011The one-eyed, cub-killing leader of the rival pride in The Last Lions, who became one of the most effective hunters Dereck Joubert ever followed, and in the end hunted beside her old enemy Ma di Tau.Read the full record BDisappearedBaba Yao Their Father2014 – c. 2020The brother who led the young Bila Shaka coalition’s mating, named “their father” for his dominance, who vanished after a fight with the Salas males.Read the full record DFate unknownDoa The Spotted Eye2014 – unknownThe Bila Shaka brother named for the spot by his left eye, admired for his classic good looks, who left his brothers in 2020 to stay with the Topi Pride.Read the full record CMissingChongo Bad Eye2014 – 2026?The one-eyed Bila Shaka brother, a favourite of Mara guides for his stare, who ruled the Paradise Pride with Kiok and went missing in 2026.Read the full record KLivingKiok The Ear2014 – presentThe Bila Shaka brother named for his mismatched ears, a protective father to the Paradise Pride’s cubs and one of the last of the six still living in 2026.Read the full record KLivingKibogoyo Toothless2014 – presentThe Bila Shaka brother named “toothless” for a missing upper canine, often roughed up but still alive in 2026.Read the full record KDisappearedKoshoke Koshoke2014 – September 2025One of the six Bila Shaka brothers, a constant partner of Chongo and Kiok, who disappeared in September 2025.Read the full record JDeceasedJericho Cecil’s PartnerJune 2004 – October 2016The Hwange lion whose family killed Cecil’s brother, who later became Cecil’s coalition partner, stood by his pride after Cecil was shot, and died of old age in 2016.Read the full record MDisappearedMighty Long Longc. 2005 – c. 2010/11The biggest and one of the eldest of Notch’s five sons, his father’s bodyguard, who helped take the River Pride from Fang and vanished in the Mara Triangle around 2010–2011.Read the full record NDeceasedNsuku Blondie2010/11 – late 2019The blond-maned Birmingham male, probably the eldest of the five, who died of injuries and illness in late 2019 after defending a hippo carcass from hyenas.Read the full record NPresumed deadNhenha The Warrior2010/11 – c. 2022/23The biggest of the Birmingham Boys and a lone patroller, who outlived all his brothers and spent his last year in a new coalition with his son, the Nkuhuma male.Read the full record TDeceasedTinyo Tinyo2010/11 – late 2021The darkest-maned of the Birmingham Boys, Nhenha’s last partner, who weakened in 2021 and died at the end of that year.Read the full record MDisappearedMfumo Samson2010/11 – c. 2019/20The heavily built Birmingham male, once known as Samson, who disappeared around 2019–2020; a snakebite has been suggested but never confirmed.Read the full record SDeceasedScrapper Tokoloshe2010/11 – April 2016The youngest of the Birmingham Boys, aggressive like Tinyo, who died in April 2016, probably gored by a buffalo.Read the full record DDeceasedDark Mane Avoca Dark Mane2013 – c. 2023The dark-maned Northern Avoca who left his brothers to stay with the Talamati lionesses, fathered the Talamati male, and lived for three years on a broken foot.Read the full record BDeceasedBlondie Avoca Blondie2013 – October 2022The blond-maned Northern Avoca who ruled the Nkuhuma Pride with his brother Mohawk until his death in October 2022.Read the full record MLivingMohawk Avoca Mohawk2013 – presentThe Northern Avoca with a mohawk-shaped mane, last of the three brothers, still alive in Kruger in late 2025 with two young Nkuhuma males.Read the full record ODeceasedOsama The Man-Eater of Rufijic. 2000 – April 2004A young male lion of the Rufiji district of Tanzania who, with his pride, killed at least 35 people between 2002 and 2004, often breaking into homes at night, until game scouts shot him in 2004.Read the full record TDeceasedThe Man-Eater of Mfuwe The Lion of Mfuwe? – 9 September 1991A huge maneless lion that killed six people around Mfuwe in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley in 1991, walked through a village carrying a victim’s laundry, and now stands in the Field Museum beside the Tsavo man-eaters.Read the full record ULivingUkingo M1c. 2020/21 – presentThe eldest of the Topi Boys and long their leading male, whose name guides translate as “the dominant one”.Read the full record OLivingOtipo M2c. 2020/21 – presentOne of the seven Topi Boys, an imposing male who helped take over the Paradise Pride in early 2026.Read the full record MLivingMoja Moja M3c. 2020/21 – presentThe Topi Boy with a scarred face, collared after clashes with herders, who grew from a subordinate male into one of the coalition’s most influential.Read the full record VLivingVuli M5c. 2020/21 – presentThe Topi Boy often chased away by his own brothers, who discovered the opening at Paradise Plains that the coalition seized in 2026.Read the full record NLivingNzuri M6c. 2020/21 – presentThe Topi Boy with the flowing mane, celebrated as one of the most striking male lions in the world, and the troublemaker of his coalition.Read the full record DLivingDjodjo M7c. 2020/21 – presentThe massive Topi Boy, one of the largest in the coalition, nicknamed Mini Osapuk for his likeness to his father.Read the full record RDeceasedRam Ram of Girc. 2001 – November 2016The flamboyant Asiatic lion who ruled part of India’s Gir forest for years with his brother Shyam, fathering many cubs, and died of old age in 2016 at about 15.Read the full record SFate unknownShyam Shyam of Girc. 2001 – unknownThe Asiatic lion who ruled part of India’s Gir forest with his brother Ram, and was left alone and ageing when Ram died in 2016.Read the full record SDeceasedSienna Sienac. 2004 – December 2015A Marsh Pride lioness who recovered from terrible injuries, only to die with Bibi in December 2015 after herders laced a cow carcass with poison.Read the full record SPresumed deadSilver Eye of Talamati Queen Silver Eyec. 2007/08 – 2022A one-eyed lioness of South Africa’s Talamati Pride who lived under the Matimba, Selati, Birmingham and Avoca males and raised three litters to adulthood before disappearing in 2022.Read the full record VDeceasedVeeru Veeru of Girc. 2015 – 10/11 June 2025The Gir lion who, with Jay, formed India’s most famous lion partnership, and died in June 2025 of injuries from a territorial fight.Read the full record JDeceasedJay Jaic. 2015 – 30 July 2025The Gir lion who outlived his partner Veeru by seven weeks, before dying of his own wounds from territorial fighting in July 2025.Read the full record OLivingOlepolos Olepolos SalaAugust 2015 – presentOne of the three Sala’s Boys of the Masai Mara, father of the striking Topi Boy Nzuri, still patrolling the Topi Plains with Osapuk.Read the full record OLivingOsapuk Osapuk SalaAugust 2015 – presentThe big Sala’s Boy, often injured but always returning, father of Djodjo, the “Mini Osapuk” of the Topi Boys.Read the full record ODeceasedOrkitok Orkitok SalaAugust 2015 – June 2025The most admired of the Sala’s Boys for his courage, who limped on an old leg injury for years and died in June 2025.Read the full record CFate unknownCharm The Marsh MatriarchDates not publishedThe Marsh Pride lioness who held her family together after the males abandoned it and poison killed her companions, the heroine of David Attenborough’s Dynasties.Read the full record LDeceasedLolparpit LolparpitEarly 2005 – November 2020The adventurous half of the Mara’s most prolific father-coalition, sire of the Bila Shaka brothers, who held territory against younger rivals until he died of old age at nearly 16.Read the full record OFate unknownOlbarnoti OlbarnotiEarly 2005 – unknownThe quieter brother of Lolparpit, co-father of the Bila Shaka brothers, who outlived his partner and was still with the Enkoyonai Pride in 2021.Read the full record XDeceasedXanda Cecil’s Sonc. 2011 – 7 July 2017Cecil’s son, a collared Hwange pride male with three lionesses and seven cubs, shot in a legal trophy hunt just outside the park two years after his father.Read the full record BDeceasedBoy Boy of Born Freec. 1960s – 1971A lion from the film Born Free who was returned to the wild by George Adamson, founded the Kora pride with Christian, and was shot in 1971 after fatally mauling Adamson’s assistant.Read the full record RFate unknownRomeo Romeo of the MarshUnknown – unknownOne of the Ridge Pride males who killed Notch’s partner and drove Notch from the Marsh Pride, then ruled it with Clawed until the Four Musketeers arrived.Read the full record CFate unknownClawed Clawed of the MarshUnknown – unknownThe Ridge Pride male who, with Romeo, took the Marsh Pride from Notch in 2007 and held it until the Four Musketeers came.Read the full record FFate unknownFang The River Pride MaleUnknown – unknownThe male of the River Pride in Disneynature’s African Cats, named for his broken fang, who lost his pride to Notch and his sons around 2010.Read the full record KLivingKito Charm’s DaughterUnknown – presentCharm’s daughter, the collared lioness who leads the six-female Marsh Pride of the Masai Mara under the Topi Boys.Read the full record LDeceasedLoonkito Loonkiitoc. 2004 – 10 May 2023The Amboseli lion who defended his territory for over a decade and lived to 19, among the oldest wild lions ever recorded, before herders speared him in a cattle pen in 2023.Read the full record CDeceasedChiengi Charlie The White LionActive c. 1900 – 1909A pale, half-tailed man-eater of Chiengi on Lake Mweru in what is now Zambia, said to have killed some ninety people, whom local people believed held the spirit of a dead wizard.Read the full record