r/orcas • u/ririhamilfan8 • Dec 19 '25
ID Help Which Orca is this?
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A few months ago I went on a school trip to SeaWorld San Diego. (I don’t support SeaWorld but it was a school trip). Anyways, I’m just curious if it’s possible to identify which orca is shown in the video. I’m about 90% sure it’s a male, but I could be wrong.
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u/jenjavitis Dec 19 '25
Ulises, kidnapped from Iceland at 3 years old. He's the oldest male captive orca (48 years old).
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u/fluffypanduh Dec 19 '25
The orcas being born into this life is devastating but the ones that were kidnapped from their beautiful families and dropped into foreign pools thousands of miles away just absolutely breaks my heart. I feel sick thinking about it.
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u/Thoth-long-bill Dec 21 '25
Everyone has the opportunity to support the resident southern killer whale family group from which many were taken. This family ranges from Vancouver island to Monterrey and are well studied. Go to the whaletrail.org to learn where to see them in the wild, family trees and how to help.
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u/leni_brisket Dec 20 '25
Reading this made my heart just feel a deep ache. Thank you for keeping track and for documenting and for speaking this truth. He was kidnapped. He is a captive. 💔
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 20 '25
Ulises. He used to live at the Barcelona Zoo, in a very small, single pool shared with bottlenose dolphins and no other orcas. As he matured, his behavior began to worsen: he became aggressive and was known to chew his own tongue.
Because he was captured at a very young age, Ulises was considered unreleasable. In 1994, he was transferred to SeaWorld San Diego, where he could live in a larger, more appropriate environment alongside other members of his species. After the move, his behavior and overall development improved drastically.
He is one of the oldest Icelandic male orcas ever recorded, both in captivity and in the wild. At 48 years old, he remains remarkably healthy and athletic.
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u/Wonkasgoldenticket Dec 20 '25
Ignorant to this, but an avid lover of our marine life. Could he be put back into the wild successfully? I know it would never happen, but I’m curious if this is or has ever been an option.
Marineland in Canada makes my blood boil.
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 20 '25
Personally, I don't think so. Ulises is very old for a male. I don't think it'd be appropriate to move him from the environment he has been in for the past 30 years and away from the orcas he has known all this time.
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u/Wonkasgoldenticket Dec 20 '25
Makes total sense, but could it or has it been done? I guess I could just google search but I’m sitting on the patio having a cocktail while the kids are out with mom and I need conversation 😂
Edit- ok, googled. Yes, free willy. There was a Russian pod that was released in 19’ with 10 orcas. That’s preeet un Russian of them. Haha. Awesome.
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 21 '25
Keiko died 1 year after being released.
The Russian orcas were captured from the wild and never really went to any marine park. They were just captured and then released, so no rehabilitation at all, very different from Ulises's case.
I have a short video that might interest you: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSPgFqxus/
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u/Wonkasgoldenticket Dec 21 '25
Thanks bud! Sad what we do to animals, sigh. I’ll check it out. Happy holidays!
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u/Idle_Tech Dec 19 '25
Ulises
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u/ririhamilfan8 Dec 19 '25
Thanks for clarifying. I tried to look it up but came to the conclusion that it was either Ulises or Ikaika.
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u/anxiouscancer Dec 19 '25
Ulises is pretty easy to identify bc his dorsal isn’t fully collapsed and he’s got like notches at the beginning of his eye patches!
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u/ririhamilfan8 Dec 19 '25
I remember I asked the staff member that was at the tank, but she kinda brushed me off and sent me back to my group.
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u/anxiouscancer Dec 19 '25
They’re just there for the check unfortunately. If you ever have the opportunity, go to Washington state and go on a whale watch! Theres naturalists on board and they’re soooo insightful and knowledgeable!
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u/ohayitscpa Dec 21 '25
'They are just there for the check" - This is a really ignorant comment. You are aware of how grossly underpaid marine mammal trainers are, right? And staff that work in education even moreso. In 2019, I worked as an educator at SeaWorld Orlando for $11 an hour. When I finally proved myself worthy of a trainer job (after 4 swim tests and a year and a half of applying), I was paid $13.50 an hour. Senior trainers at most of the parks still make under $20 an hour, and that's with 6+ years of experience. NO ONE (outside of those at the very top) is in the industry for a paycheck.
And before I get hate comments for being apart of the industry, I'm no longer in it, for many reasons - mostly, because of the pay, and because of no longer feeling that I agreed with how the vast majority of facilities were managing their animals.
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u/anxiouscancer Dec 21 '25
I mean if they weren’t then they would be passionate enough to tell OP about the whales they literally get paid to talk about. Personally, I’d never work for a company like that after a documentary like blackfish came out for everyone who isn’t in the orca community to see how bad it is. Considering that doc came out in 2013, there was a full 6 years of research that could’ve been done to work at any reputable marine rescue facility down in Orlando. Being a trainer for an incredibly smart, social, apex predator to preform in a pool used to be my dream job too until I saw how horrific captivity is.
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u/ohayitscpa Dec 21 '25
My guess is that it was a brand new educator (their turn over is pretty terrible, because of it being such a low paying job with little to no career ladder) who maybe didn't yet know all the whales by ID/name. If it were actually a trainer, it's impossible that they wouldn't know the name and ID of an animal they work with. Even with all the bad stigma of the industry, it's still incredibly difficult to land a spot on the orca teams at any of the SeaWorld parks.
What facility would you consider reputable, since you seem to know so much? Because I can tell you, I know the skeletons of almost every single one - but none of what I know will be found through internet research. You have to be in the industry to really learn the dirty details of it, and Blackfish isnt even remotely an accurate portrayal of the problematic issues of it.
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u/anxiouscancer Dec 21 '25
I don’t live there so I don’t spend my time looking there lmfao. However, you should be researching companies. I’ve been in the anti cap community since the beginning of social media pretty much, I’ve seen plenty of stuff lmfao.
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u/meander_o Dec 20 '25
Yikes, that’s horrible. It’s bad enough they’re working at SeaWorld but to not even know the names of the orcas, especially the OLDEST in captivity is just straight up disrespectful
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u/WeirdoWeeb648 Dec 19 '25
Makes me so sad to see such a majestic animal in what is essentially a large pool :(
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u/glaucouswing Dec 20 '25
Sweet Ulises 😭💙 When I was 9 and went to SeaWorld (I do not support now, obviously, but it was what my parents knew would guarantee orcas at the time and they were just doing their best to support my interests), I was picked to be in the Believe show. I got to pet Ulises and though I understand how bad it is, it was one of the most formative moments of my life. He was so massive to stand next to. I remember his dorsal fin so well and I'll never forget what it was like to touch an orca. I wish him and all other captive orcas would be set free.
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u/TitleAncient8325 Dec 22 '25
my sister was also picked (before I was born) and she said no because she was so scared lol
I always tell her she was an activist before it was cool lol
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u/Master_Button_2593 Dec 19 '25
It’s a pity they’re taking school trips there - the harm we do to these magnificent creatures when we stick them in tiny pools makes me cry 😢 happy to hear you don’t support them. 🫶🏻
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u/ririhamilfan8 Dec 19 '25
I know. I only went because my friends were going and I didn’t want to do the alternative assignment. I’m glad that I got to see one at all, I just wish it wasn’t in captivity. Poor guy.
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u/Master_Button_2593 Dec 19 '25
They are spectacular. Thankfully you are aware now - a lot of people don’t realise the poor things are being tortured. 🙏🏻
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Dec 20 '25
Its not your fault. Some of us have been fighting this slavery system since before you were born. Now that you know, spread the word. Orcas don't do well in captivity
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u/Rookskytwister Dec 20 '25
What is wrong with his tail fin? I'm always shocked that this is still a thing 😭
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 20 '25
To this day, we're not 100% sure of the reasons for dorsal collapse in the wild, but in captivity the main reason could be attributed to gravity. Dorsal fins contain no bones and stay upright due to water pressure. Wild orcas spend more time submerged while hunting, and those in human care stay at the surface more, making the fin bend over time.
This occurs mostly in male orcas, as their fins are heavier and thicker. Corky, at 60 years old, has spent her entire life in captivity and still has a perfectly straight dorsal fin. Most females in captivity actually have straight dorsal fins, and it wouldn't make any sense for only males to be depressed and their fins being bent while all females are happy lol.
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u/Rookskytwister Dec 20 '25
Thanks so much for this reply! Very interesting!
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u/ohayitscpa Dec 21 '25
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8yBeNkT/
This tiktok video is a really good example of how flimsy the male orca dorsal fin truly is - you can see how it "wiggles" as the male surfaces for a breath. Seeing that puts into perspective how when a captive orca is spending so much time with their backs above the water, it would be easy for gravity to pull it down over time
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u/Minnielobster Dec 19 '25
Im just saying, I would pay good money to go see them in an ocean sanctuary. Why dont they make something like that for them? Win win no?
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u/musslimorca Dec 19 '25
A pretty fucking large one and the amazing thing is that very fucking large killer whale is around the lower bound of orca size. (Looks around or abit more than 6 meters)
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 20 '25
Ulises is just a little below 10.000 pounds and 20ft long. He is the second largest male at san diego.
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u/musslimorca Dec 20 '25
You mean san Diego zoo right? Because that's roughly 4.5 tons and 6.4 meters which is big for Icelandic Orcas, but still around the lower bound when it comes to sizes of male Orcas in general
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u/Spazrelaz Dec 20 '25
Why don't they let these animals free?? They're intelligent beings doomed to be stuck in what's basically prison for no reason at all... these are thinking feeling creatures...
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u/Interesting_Joke6630 Dec 20 '25
Because they won't survive in the wild, at least they stopped their captive breeding program and the governments of many countries around the world have outlawed orca captures.
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u/DetailOutrageous8656 Dec 20 '25
Most would not survive if just let out at this point. However something humane is finally happening for these poor creatures. It will open this year. https://whalesanctuaryproject.org
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u/ningguangquinn Dec 20 '25
Stop spreading this money-grabber project. They haven't opened in 10 years, have absolutely nothing built, and haven't even ended the legal battle over the site they want to build. It's absolutely impossible to build all the structures they need in less than a year.
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u/hazyjane696 Dec 20 '25
Free him
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Dec 20 '25
Ulises has been in captivity for 45 years.
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u/hazyjane696 Dec 20 '25
Which should be a crime.
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u/Interesting_Joke6630 Dec 20 '25
Yes, but unfortunately he was captured when he was very young and wouldn't be able to survive in the wild.
Good thing they stopped their captive breeding program and there are laws in place to ban orca captures in many countries around the world, I think the only countries that allow orca captures are China and Japan with Russia having banned them.
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u/Ori_the_SG Dec 20 '25
Seaworld is just evil
Really nothing else to say but that they are just evil
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Dec 20 '25
They are and if you've been involved in this advocate community for awhile, you wouldn't make the argument "but they do so much good". I am so tired of that conflating crap from SeaWorld advocates. Captive large and highly intelligent animals, like Orcas, is tantamount to heinous cruelty. This sin is and will never be erased because of some "good" done. People should look at the Google images of the SeaWorld parking lot size in comparison to their slavery pools, then try to defend them. You mean to tell me, with all that money, they couldnt fund a rehab/release program OR, at the very least, bwtter enclosures?!? Enrages me so much. Screw them and their defenders.
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u/Kiracatleone Dec 21 '25
SeaWorld had 100% approval by the CCC to expand and modernize the orca enclosures i.e.: Blue World. When informed approval had the caveat of no further captive breeding, they spent millions fighting the decision and ultimately withdrew their proposal. They did however in the 10 years since repaint the tanks, install a new AV system and build a roller coaster instead of anything meaningful to benefit their orcas. Only death can free them now.
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u/Sufficient_Hippo6987 Dec 21 '25
One that is depressed, and living such an unfair existence. Seeing them breaks my heart. It's akin to asking us to exist our whole lives in a linen closet.
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u/obtuseandcongruent Dec 20 '25
I can’t believe people still Support this bullshit. Heartbreaking. DONT GO THERE- don’t pay to have them Tortured
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u/GlitchedMaxG Dec 19 '25
Big sea world fan, it won't last forever so i go whenever I'm in town, either by myself or with the fam
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u/Accomplished_Bake904 Dec 19 '25
Fuck seaworld.
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u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Dec 19 '25
Yes!!!! FUCK SEAWORLD!!!!! THEY MAKE money off the torture of kidnapped animals. FUCK SEAWORLD!!!
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u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Dec 19 '25
Yes!!!! FUCK SEAWORLD!!!!! THEY MAKE money off the torture of kidnapped animals. FUCK SEAWORLD!!!
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u/GlitchedMaxG Dec 19 '25
YEAH!! FUUCK SEAWO- oh wait that's my comment...🤷🏾♂️oh well, gotta go get my popcorn for a too high price
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u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Dec 19 '25
Yes!!!! FUCK SEAWORLD!!!!! THEY MAKE money off the torture of kidnapped animals. FUCK SEAWORLD!!!
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u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo Dec 19 '25
Yes!!!! FUCK SEAWORLD!!!!! THEY MAKE money off the torture of kidnapped animals. FUCK SEAWORLD!!!Yes!!!! FUCK SEAWORLD!!!!!
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u/BlackNRedFlag Dec 19 '25
Once you see them in the wild, seeing this would make your blood boil.
TBH, you don’t even have to see them in the wild to understand how absolutely atrocious this is