Katerina

Katerina was a 10 year old female Bigg's transient-Icelandic killer whale hybrid that lived at SeaWorld San Antonio. She was born on the 4th of November, 1988 to Katina and Kanduke and died on the 5th of May, 1999 from bacterial pneumonia and suppurative bleeding.

Stats

Age

10 years old

Gender

Female

Status

Deceased 1999

Place of Death

SeaWorld San Antonio

Birth

Date of Birth

4th of November, 1988

Length of Birth

Around 3 Hours

Location of Birth

SeaWorld Orlando

Time of Birth

4:19 PM (EST)

Type of Birth

Tail First

Death

Cause of Death

Bacterial Pneumonia and Suppurative Bleeding

Date of Death

5th of May, 1999

Location of Death

SeaWorld San Antonio

Time of Death

Evening

Immediate Family

Mother

Katina (Captured 1978)

Father

Kanduke* (Deceased 1990)

Grandmother

T007 "Innis"* (Deceased 2010s, Wild)

Grandfather

T008?* (Deceased, Wild)

Extended Family

Half SIsters

Kalina* (Deceased 2010)
Taima* (Deceased 2010)
Unna* (Deceased 2015)
Nalani (Born 2006, Inbred)

Half Brothers

Taku* (Deceased 2007)
Ikaika (Born 2002)
Makaio (Born 2010)

Other Half Sibling

SWF-00-U8701* (Died w/Mother 1987)

Aunt

T007B "Spiller" (Born 1982, Wild)

Uncle

T007A "Arrow"* (Deceased 2010s, Wild)

Other Aunt/Uncle

T007C "Blunden"* (Deceased, Wild)

Nieces

Skyla* (Deceased 2021)
Kalia (Born 2004)
Halyn* (Deceased 2008)
SWT-00-U0601* (Miscarried 2006)
Nalani (Born 2006, Inbred)
Malia (Born 2007)
Victoria* (Deceased 2013, Inbred)
Amaya* (Deceased 2021)
Ula* (Deceased 2021)

Nephews

Keet (Born 1993)
Keto (Born 1995)
Sumar* (Deceased 2010)
Tuar (Born 1999)
Tekoa (Born 2000)
Trua (Born 2005)
SWF-00-U0701* (Miscarried 2007)
Adán (Born 2010, Inbred)

Male Cousins

T007B3 "Knox" (Born 2005, Wild)
T007B4 "Moonraker" (Born 2010, Wild)
T007B6 "Domino" (Born 2018, Wild)
T007B7 (Born 2022, Wild)

Other Cousins

T007B1* (Deceased, Wild)
T007B2* (Deceased, Wild)
T007B5* (Deceased 2010s, Wild)

Wild Pod

T Pod (Bigg's Transient)

Naming

Origin of Name

Greek/Russian for "Pure"

Pronunciation

cat-ER-e-nah

Nicknames

Kit-Kat

Measurements

Lengths

6.5 ft (1988), 17.06 ft (1999)

Weights

350 lbs (1988), 3,000 lbs (1992-1994), 4,409 lbs (1999)

Transfer History

Transfer #1

20th of April, 1991 - SeaWorld Orlando to SeaWorld Ohio.

Transfer #2

29th of November, 1994 - SeaWorld Ohio to SeaWorld San Antonio.

Ecotype

Total

50% Icelandic, 50% Bigg's Transient

Apperance

Eye Color

Brown?

The "Trio of Births"

Katerina (2) — Photo provided by Michele Delgross.

In 1988, 3 orcas were born at all of the SeaWorld parks(not including Ohio). Amazingly, all of the females survived after birth. Orkid was the first to be born of the trio, but on the 4th of November, the famous "Katina" went into labor with her second calf. At 4:19 PM EST, she delivered the female calf. This was the 3rd successful birth of a orca in captivity, the 1st successful birth of a hybrid whale(resident and transient wise), and the 1st birth of a second successful killer whale calf to the same mother. Born at SeaWorld Orlando, her first years were spent with her family. She received the name "Katerina" after her mother's name, both meaning "pure" in Greek. Katerina often spent time with her half sisters, Kalina and Taima, along with Taima's mother, Gudrun, who was there to assist Katina with Katerina's birth. She started participating in shows along with her mother and was referred to as "Baby Shamu." Katerina was also the star in a project helping killer whale calves in the wild(as information was very vague at the time), and her birth was featured in the SeaWorld Film "Celebrations."^[1] Despite her father, Kanduke, being rarely used in shows and paired with other whales, Katina and Katerina would sometimes be seen in performances with him, and they seemed to act quite calmly. Kanduke seemed to love the company, especially from his daughter.^[2]

Move to Ohio

Namu — Kayla(front) and Katerina. Photo by SeaWorld.

Unfortunately, time spent with her family was very limited. At the only the age of two, Katerina was moved to SeaWorld Ohio(Aurora) on the 20th of April, 1991 for the summer season. There, she met Kayla, who was only two weeks younger then her, meaning she was the last to be born in 1988. Later, in 1993, Winnie arrived at the park and the three got along well. Katerina started doing waterworks more frequently at around 4 years old and never got aggressive with the trainers. She, along with Winnie and Kayla, also featured in a Ohio News special on how whales can understand undertones to do certain behaviors.^[3] During her time at Ohio, she was often seen as the main whale in shows. There is a possibility she was the more dominant one when it was just her and Kayla, as Katerina was more independent then her at the time. When Winnie arrived, she showed more dominance against the two. In the spring of 1994, Monster Marsh became a new event at SeaWorld Orlando, and a photo of young Katerina and Katina was on the cover of the article relating to the event.^[4] This picture, in color, can still be seen on SeaWorld's website.

On the Road Again

Katerina and Haida2 — Katerina and Haida ll(right). Photo by Vera Svechina

Not long after Winnie's arrival, Katerina was moved to SeaWorld San Antonio on the 29th of November, 1994. Shortly after arrival, she met Kotar, Haida ll, and her son Kyuquot. Upon arrival, Haida also had a young female calf that was born days before she was moved. Unfortunately, the calf died a month later. Katerina was also paired with her nephew Keet, whom she became very bonded with. After his mother, Kalina, was shipped back to SeaWorld Orlando, Keet was in need of a surrogate mother. Despite how young Katerina was, she took over the role and the pair were often seen together during events. Kyuquot also spent time with Katerina when he wasn't with his mother. In 1995, Kotar died after a gate closed on his head, crushing his skull. This left Haida, Kyuquot, Keet, and Katerina as the remaining killer whales left at the park.

Death and Impact

Unfortunately, the park suffered another loss on the evening of the 5th of May, 1999, when Katerina passed away suddenly. She had showed slight signs of illnesses prior to her death a few days before and had been put on antibiotics. The cause is listed as Bacterial Pneumonia and Suppurative Bleeding.

Because of the large impact Katerina had with Keet, he was subjected to extreme dominance between Kyuquot and Haida after Katerina's death. Katerina was a typically dominant female when it came to being the matriarch while in Ohio, and this role played in "protecting" Keet from aggressive attacks, as he was a lower ranked subdominant whale. Keet would often have to be paired with the two, however he would leave the trainers when signaled and regurgitated food to avoid being paired with them. He would also shiver if any orca raked him.^[5] Although the dominance would soon go down, Kayla and Winnie would switch with Keet, going from Ohio to San Antonio in November of 1999. Keet went to San Diego to join his brother, and went to Ohio in 2000. Even after a year following Katerina's death, the social structure wasn't completely steady.

Personality & Appearance

Keet Katerina Haida2 Kyuquot — Keet, Katerina, Haida ll, and Kyuquot(left to right). Photo provided by HaH.

During her time in Ohio, Katerina's dorsal collapsed to the left, but straightened back up after she was shipped to Texas. SeaWorld Aurora's cetacean pool was quite small for killer whales, for the orcas were almost always longer than the front slide out. However, this never seemed to affect her. Katerina was never noticed to be aggressive around trainers or other whales. She was the top whale used in shows, especially for waterworks, and was always up for learning new behaviors. She was an active whale and was typically energetic for shows, often being the only killer whale to perform in a show in Ohio.

As of 2022, Katerina has 5 living wild relatives. Her aunt, T007B "Spiller," currently has 4 living sons. Consisting of T007B3 "Knox," T007B4 "Moonraker," and T007B6 "Domino," the newest addition is T007B7 who was born to Spiller in 2022.

Timeline

1988

4th of November - Katina gives birth to Katerina at SeaWorld Orlando. her sire is Kanduke.

1991

20th of April - Katerina moves to SeaWorld Ohio from SeaWorld Orlando. She then meets Kayla and becomes the dominant whale of the two.

1994

29th of November - Katerina is moved to SeaWorld San Antonio and meets Keet, Kyuquot, Kotar, and Haida II later on.

1999

5th of May - Katerina dies at SeaWorld San Antonio from bacterial pneumonia and suppurative bleeding.

Trivia

Katerina lived 10 years, 6 months, and 1 day.
Her name means "pure" in Greek, and shares this meaning with her mother, possibly as to why she received the name Katerina.
She is the first successful birth of a hybrid killer whale in captivity, consisting of Bigg's transient and Icelandic parents.
Before Winnie's arrival, Katerina was the matriarch over Kayla at SeaWorld Ohio.
She is the only captive orca to die on Cinco de Mayo.
Katerina is one of 8 captive orcas to consist of the Bigg's transient ecotype.