Presumed dead

Notch II

Also known as Notch 2 · The Last of the Notch Sons

c. 2005 – c. 2020

Born in Musiara Marsh area, Masai Mara, Kenya

Notch II was a male lion of Kenya’s Masai Mara, one of the five sons of the legendary Notch and the last surviving member of the Notch Coalition, the rare father-and-sons alliance that dominated the Mara for about a decade. He was born into the Marsh Pride, the pride made famous by the BBC’s Big Cat Diary, while his father was its king.

When Notch lost the Marsh Pride around 2007, Notch II and his four brothers, Mighty Long, Ron, Caesar and Grimace, were only about two and a half years old. They left with their father, grew up as a coalition of six, and took over pride after pride, including the River Pride at Rekero, the story told in Disneynature’s African Cats. One by one the others were lost: Mighty Long around 2010, Notch in 2013, Grimace soon after, Ron in 2016 and Caesar in 2017.

Alone, Notch II reportedly gave up his last pride, around Lookout Hill, without much of a fight. Then, much as his father had done, he reappeared with one of his own sons, Spear Boy, a male crippled by a spear wound. The old father and the injured son reportedly stayed together for more than a year. Notch II is reported to have disappeared around 2020, at about 15 years old; how and where he died has not been documented.

~10Years of reign

~15Age at death

—Lionesses in his pride

6Males in his coalition

Profile

Identity

Name: Notch II
Nicknames: Notch 2
Origin of the name: Named after his father, NotchWho first gave him the name has not been documented
Sex: Male
Distinguishing features: Large, dark-maned maleSeen with a small thigh wound in 2017
Weight: Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg

Birth & Family

Born: c. 2005Some sources give 2004–2005
Birthplace: Musiara Marsh area, Masai Mara, KenyaExact birth site not recorded
Birth pride: Marsh PrideBorn while his father Notch was the pride male
Father: Notch (“Kali”)
Mother: Information not availableA Marsh Pride lioness; her identity has not been publicly documented
Siblings: Mighty Long, Ron, Caesar and Grimace (brothers)Three sisters were also reported to have survived from the same litters

Reign

Pride king: Yes, member of the Notch Coalition and later co-ruler with his son
Prides ruled: With the Notch Coalition: River Pride (Rekero), Olkiombo, Olkeju Ronkai, Ridge, Paradise and Maji ya Fisi; later the Lookout Hill pride
Pride size: Information not available
Reign: About 10 years (c. 2008 – c. 2018)Reportedly longer if his time with Spear Boy is counted
Ruled with: Notch and his four brothers; later his son Spear Boy
Coalition: The Notch Coalition
Home range: Rekero area and the eastern Masai Mara; later around Lookout Hill near the Mara River
Territory size: Information not availableClaims of more than 1,000 km² for the Notch Coalition are not verified

Death

Died: Reportedly c. 2020He disappeared; no body was reported found
Age at death: About 15 yearsReportedly; some accounts say 14
Cause of death: Information not availableOld age is often suggested, but the cause has not been documented
Place of death: Information not availableMasai Mara, Kenya; exact place not recorded
Burial: Information not available

Names & Meanings

Notch IIName

Named after his father, Notch, whose name came from the notches in his ears. The numeral marks him as Notch’s son and namesake.

Notch 2Spelling variant

The same name written with an ordinary number, used by many guides and lion followers online.

The Last of the Notch SonsTitle

Because he outlived his father and all four of his brothers in the Notch Coalition.

Family & Lineage

FatherNotchAlso called Kali. King of the Marsh Pride and leader of the Notch Coalition. Died in 2013 at about 14.View record →

LionessMotherA Marsh Pride lioness whose identity has not been publicly documented.

Notch 2Notch IIc. 2005 – c. 2020

BrotherMighty LongAlso called Long. Disappeared in the Mara Triangle around 2010.View record →BrotherRonWent missing in mid-2016; reportedly killed by the Sand River males.View record →BrotherCaesarDeveloped a limp from an abscess and was last seen near Lookout Hill in 2017.View record →BrotherGrimaceVanished in rival territory in 2013, a few months after his father.View record →

SonSpear BoyReportedly born in 2013 in the Rongai pride. Badly injured by a herder’s spear, he formed a coalition with his father in Notch II’s last years.View record →

OffspringOther cubsThe Notch males fathered many cubs across the Mara. Grandsons of Notch such as the Rekero males carry the line, but which brother fathered each is usually not known.

Life Story

c. 2005
Born in the Marsh Pride, one of five sons of Notch, the pride’s king.
c. 2007
Romeo and Clawed drove Notch from the Marsh Pride. Notch II, about two and a half years old, left with his father and four brothers.
2008
Seen with his father and brothers in the BBC’s Big Cat Live.
c. 2010
The coalition took the River Pride at Rekero from Fang, the story told in African Cats. His brother Mighty Long disappeared.
February 2012
The Notch males were reported to control five prides in the eastern Mara.
2013
His father Notch died, and his brother Grimace vanished a few months later.
May 2013
His son Spear Boy was reportedly born in the Rongai pride.
Mid-2016
His brother Ron went missing, reportedly killed by the Sand River males.
2017
Caesar was last seen near Lookout Hill, leaving Notch II as the last of the original coalition. Later that year he was seen alone, far from the Lookout Hill pride he had held.
c. 2018 – 2019
Reappeared with his son Spear Boy. The father and son reportedly stayed together for more than a year.
c. 2020
Reportedly disappeared at about 15 and is presumed dead.

Legend & Truth

History repeating itself

Notch survived losing the Marsh Pride by joining forces with his sons. In his old age Notch II did the same with Spear Boy, a second father-and-son coalition in one family, something rarely recorded in wild lions.

Reported, not confirmed

Much of Notch II’s later life, including his time with Spear Boy and his death around 2020, is known from guides and lion followers rather than published research, so these details should be read as reports.