Deceased

C-Boy

Also known as Bob · The Lion Who Defied Death

c. 2004 – June 2018

Born in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

C-Boy was a dark-maned male lion of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and the central figure of National Geographic’s celebrated 2013 story “The Short Happy Life of a Serengeti Lion”, written by David Quammen and photographed by Michael “Nick” Nichols. Guides knew him as Bob, or Bob Marley, and he became the father of two of the Serengeti’s most famous lions, Snyggve (Bob Junior) and Marley.

In August 2009, while he and his coalition partner Hildur were the resident males of the Jua Kali pride, C-Boy was attacked by three males from a group known as the Killers. Ingela Jansson, a field assistant with the Serengeti Lion Project, watched the fight and believed he would not survive. He did: he recovered from the attack and from infected wounds, left Jua Kali, and moved east with Hildur to take over the Vumbi pride at the Zebra Kopjes and the Simba East pride.

C-Boy was found dead of natural causes by a tour driver in early June 2018, at about 14 years old. According to photographer Daniel Rosengren, that age was close to the record for a male lion in the entire history of the Serengeti Lion Project. National Geographic described him as everything an African lion should be.

—Years of reign

~14Age at death

~10Lionesses in his prides

2Males in his coalition

Profile

Identity

Name: C-Boy
Nicknames: Bob, Bob Marley
Origin of the name: Named by Serengeti Lion Project field assistant Ingela Jansson
Sex: Male
Distinguishing features: Dark, black-fringed mane
Weight: Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg

Birth & Family

Born: c. 2004Estimated from his age at death
Birthplace: Serengeti National Park, TanzaniaExact birth site not recorded
Birth pride: Information not available
Father: Information not available
Mother: Information not available
Siblings: Information not available

Reign

Pride king: Yes, resident pride male
Prides ruled: Jua Kali (until 2009), then Vumbi and Simba East
Pride size: About 10 lionessesFive adult lionesses in the Vumbi pride and five in Simba East (2013)
Reign: Information not availableResident male from at least 2009 until his later years; exact dates not recorded
Ruled with: Hildur
Coalition: C-Boy & Hildur
Home range: Seronera river area (Jua Kali), then the Zebra Kopjes and the eastern Serengeti plains
Territory size: Information not available

Death

Died: Early June 2018Found by a tour driver; he had been dead for a couple of days
Age at death: About 14 yearsClose to the record for a male in the history of the Serengeti Lion Project
Cause of death: Natural causesNo sign that he was speared by a herdsman or shot by a poacher
Place of death: Backcountry of Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Burial: Information not availableVultures had fed on the carcass before it was found

Names & Meanings

C-BoyGiven name

Given by Ingela Jansson, a Swedish field assistant with the Serengeti Lion Project. The meaning of the letter C has not been documented.

Bob / Bob MarleyNickname used by guides

After the reggae singer Bob Marley, because of his dark, dreadlock-like mane. His son Snyggve became known as Bob Junior after him.

Family & Lineage

UnknownFatherHis father has not been publicly documented.

UnknownMotherHis mother has not been publicly documented.

BobC-Boyc. 2004 – 2018

Coalition partnerHildurKnown to guides as Ziggy. Whether they were related has not been documented.View record →

Son · SnyggveBob JuniorKing of the Namiri Plains for about seven years. Killed by rival males in 2023.View record →Son · TryggveMarleyRuled the Namiri Plains with his brother. Presumed dead in 2023.View record →

OffspringOther cubsHe and Hildur fathered cubs in several prides, including Jua Kali, Vumbi and Simba East.

Life Story

c. 2004
Born in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.
By 2009
Resident male, with Hildur, of the small Jua Kali pride where the Seronera river begins.
August 2009
Attacked by three males of the coalition known as the Killers. He survived the fight and his infected wounds, but lost the Jua Kali pride.
After 2009
Moved east with Hildur and took over the larger Vumbi pride at the Zebra Kopjes, along with the Simba East pride.
c. 2010
His sons Bob Junior (Snyggve) and Marley (Tryggve) were born.
2011 – 2013
Followed by photographer Nick Nichols and writer David Quammen for National Geographic.
December 2012
The Killers moved through his territory and he went missing for three days, but was found alive and well at the Zebra Kopjes on 17 December.
August 2013
Became the central figure of “The Short Happy Life of a Serengeti Lion” in National Geographic magazine.
Early June 2018
Found dead of natural causes at about 14. Hildur was still alive.

Legend & Truth

Was C-Boy the Serengeti’s Bob?

Most sources say guides called C-Boy and Hildur Bob and Ziggy. Some fan histories describe Bob and Ziggy as a different pair, with Bob born around 2006 and dying in 2019. The two stories have not been reconciled. In Kenya’s Masai Mara, another pair of males was also known as Bob and Ziggy; they are different lions again.

Confusion: C-Boy and Bob Junior

Because both were dark-maned and both were called Bob, photos of C-Boy are often labelled as Bob Junior online, and the other way round. C-Boy was the father; Snyggve, Bob Junior, was his son.

Fact: the lion with two lives

Most male lions attacked by a coalition of three do not survive. C-Boy survived the Killers, recovered from infection, won new prides and lived to about 14.