Living

Nusu

Also known as Nusu of the Inselbergs · The Half-Toothed Inselberg

c. 2013/14 – present

Born in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (believed)

Nusu is one of the five Inselberg Males, the coalition that crossed from Tanzania’s Serengeti into Kenya’s Mara Triangle around 2018. His name is the Swahili word for half, for the bottom right tooth that is half missing; he also has a cut in his left ear and a worn-down lower right canine. Of the five brothers, he is the one about whom least has been written.

The Inselberg Males take their name from the inselbergs, isolated rocky hills near the Kenya–Tanzania border in the south of the Mara Triangle. The five are believed to have come from the Serengeti, where fans say they were first filmed in the Lamai area around 2017, and were first recorded on the Kenyan side by the Mara Predator Conservation Programme in 2018. By January 2020 all five held the south of the Triangle, ruling the Nasipa, Egyptian Goose and Purungat prides, among others.

After Slit Lip’s death in 2022, Nusu moved east with the other three survivors and later across the Mara River. With Manywele and Olopolosie reported unseen in 2026, Nusu and Ruka are said to be the last of the coalition still holding ground.

~8Years in the Triangle

5Males in his coalition

~12Age in 2026

2018First recorded

Profile

Identity

Name: NusuThe name he is best known by
Nicknames: Nusu of the Inselbergs
Origin of the name: Swahili for half, for his half-missing lower tooth
Sex: Male
Distinguishing features: Half of the bottom right tooth missing; a cut in the left ear; worn lower right canine
Weight: Information not availableFor reference, adult male lions usually weigh 150–260 kg

Birth & Family

Born: c. 2013 – 2014Estimated; not recorded
Birthplace: Serengeti National Park, Tanzania (believed)Fans say the Lamai area of the northern Serengeti
Birth pride: Information not availableNot known
Father: Information not available
Mother: Information not available
Siblings: Manywele, Ruka, Nusu, Olopolosie and Slit Lip (brothers or close relatives)Their relationship has not been documented

Reign

Pride king: Yes, a pride male of the Inselberg coalition
Prides ruled: Nasipa, Egyptian Goose and Purungat prides, among othersRuled with his brothers
Pride size: Information not available
Reign: About 8 years so far (c. 2018 – present)
Ruled with: His Inselberg brothers
Coalition: The Inselberg Males
Home range: The Mara Triangle, Kenya, from the inselbergs on the border to Serena and Maji Machafu; later across the Mara River
Territory size: Information not available

Death

Died: Information not availableStill living as of 2026
Age at death: Information not availableAbout 12 in 2026
Cause of death: Information not available
Place of death: Information not available
Burial: Information not available

Names & Meanings

NusuName

Swahili for half, for the half-missing bottom right tooth.

Family & Lineage

Not knownParentsTheir parents were never identified; they arrived in the Triangle from the Serengeti as adults.

Inselberg maleNusuc. 2013/14 –

BrotherManyweleDark-maned; seen as the leading male after 2022. Reported unseen for months in 2026.View record →BrotherRukaTorn right ear; lost much of the sight of his left eye in 2022. Injured by the Kaskaz males in 2025.View record →BrotherOlopolosieThe long-unnamed fifth male, probably the one also called Ginger. Reported unseen for months in 2026.View record →BrotherSlit LipCleft upper lip. Killed in July 2022, the first of the five to die.View record →

OffspringCubs of the coalitionFathered with his brothers in the Triangle prides, including the Purungat Pride’s sub-adults, noted in 2025 for being almost maneless. In a coalition, which male fathered which cub is not known.

Life Story

c. 2013 – 2014
Born, believed to be in the Serengeti, Tanzania.
c. 2017
Reportedly filmed with his brothers in the Lamai area of the northern Serengeti.
2018
First recorded with his brothers on the Kenyan side of the border in the Mara Triangle.
January 2020
All five Inselberg males held the south of the Triangle around the inselbergs.
June 2020
Recorded by Angama’s guides with the broken tooth that gave him his name.
July 2022
His brother Slit Lip was killed.
2023 – 2024
Moved east with the survivors and began crossing the Mara River.
2026
With Manywele and Olopolosie reported missing, he and Ruka were said to be holding the coalition’s ground.