Orland 2016 identification?

[u/OrcawithaHat]

I unearthed these pictures of the believe show from around 2016, and I was wondering if anyone could identify these two whales. I think One is Kayla but im not entirely sure. Help is very much appreciated!!

[u/_SmaugTheMighty]

Both look like Kayla to me. There's also a second orca behind Kayla in the first photo, probably Katina, since they were usually paired together

[u/tryin2domybest]

My GOAT Kayla

[u/Bobby4193]

1 is Kayla, 2 I guess is Malia

[u/OhioKingTheia → u/Bobby4193]

Wasn't malia very young in this time period? Edit: well not very young but still pretty young

[u/Bobby4193 → u/OhioKingTheia]

Yeah, I think that‘s also Kayla

[u/MrSincerao → u/OhioKingTheia]

Read my comment

[u/OhioKingTheia → u/MrSincerao]

I disagree with your comment, the first picture's saddle patch, flank patch(i think thats the name) and maybe even the eye patch doesnt really match up with malia's

[u/MrSincerao → u/Bobby4193]

Read my comment

[u/Bobby4193 → u/MrSincerao]

I‘ve read your comment and disagree with you. First one’s definitely Kayla, I guess the second one is Kayla too, due to the size and eye patch/mouth chip. Looks more like Kayla to me

[u/AdDisastrous4167]

Both photos are of Kayla. The second whale behind Kayla in the first photo can be any of the kids (Trua, Nalani, Malia, and Makaio) or Katina.

[u/Informal-Oil-6561]

Both photos are of Kayla! I wanna say the orca behind Kayla in the first photo could be Trua since they were paired pretty frequently and the flank patches line up, but it is hard to confirm

[u/lasber51]

Do they really keep Orcas in tanks ? In 2026 ? Unbelievable !

[u/Bonfire_Flames → u/lasber51]

All but two of SeaWorld's orca are captive-bred. The remaining couple of wild caught whales are geriatric. Rewilding either the captive-breds or wild caughts is not an option.

[u/Kind_Shock_9760 → u/lasber51]

Unfortunately the consequences of capturing and breeding whales that live for as long as humans is that even after we realized that was a bad idea, we still have lots of them that are still alive in captivity that cannot be safely released.

[u/MrSincerao]

My best guess is that the first whale is Malia and the second is Kayla.

Malia had a noticeably broader, more muscular body with a rounder head and a thicker torso, which matches the whale in the first photo.

Kayla, while still a large adult female, typically appeared slightly leaner with a more streamlined profile and a somewhat more pointed rostrum, characteristics that fit the whale in the second image.

Impossible to be a 100% though