Makaio

Makaio. Photo provided by cdelphinidae.

### Half-Siblings

*Kalina*, *Katerina*, Kyuquot, *Nootka IV's Calf (1992)*, *Nyar*, *Nootka IV's Stillborn (1994)*, *Gudrun's Stillborn (1996)*, *Kalina's Stillborn (1997)*, *Sumar*, Tuar, Tekoa, *Haida II's Unborn Calf (2001)*, *Nakai*, *Kohana*, *Skyla*, *Taima's Miscarriage (2005)*, Nalani, Malia, Sakari, *Taima's Stillborn (2010)*

### Nieces & Nephews

Keet, Keto, *Kalina's Stillborn (1997)*, Tuar, *Skyla*, Trua, *Unna's Stillborn (2006)*, Nalani, *Kayla's Miscarriage (2007)*, *Unna's Miscarriage (2009)*, Adán, *Victoria*, *Amaya*, *Kyara*, *Ula*

Makaio *(pronounced muh-KY-oh)* is a 13-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who currently lives at SeaWorld Orlando. Makaio was born there tail-first at 7:28 pm EST on October 9th, 2010. His mother is Katina, and his father is Tilikum. Makaio is the youngest whale at SeaWorld Orlando.

## Birth and Early Life

Before Makaio was born, his mother had given birth to 6 other calves: Katina, Katerina, Taku, Unna, Ikaika, and Nalani. Kalina, Katerina, Unna, Taku and Ikaika were all taken away from her at a young age, although Kalina was eventually reunited her mother. Katina was a very good mother with her first 5 calves, but after Nalani's birth, Katina began to ignore her and focused on her sons Taku and Ikaika instead. Taku and Ikaika were moved away not long after, and Katina resumed her normal motherly behavior with Nalani. Just a few days before his birth, Makaio's oldest sister, Kalina, passed away.

In the afternoon of October 9th, 2010, Katina went into labor. 45 minutes later, at 7:28 pm EST, Makaio was born. Katina was beside him as he took his first breath, and it wasn't long before he began to nurse. At the time of his birth, 6 other whales lived at the park: his mother and father, his older sister Nalani, an adult female named Kayla, his half-sister Malia, and his nephew Trua. Although none of the other whales were present for his birth, it wasn't long before he met the rest of the pod. In a stark contrast to her behavior from a few years prior with Nalani, Katina showed no issues with Makaio and she was just as attentive and caring with him as she had been with her other calves. Nalani was jealous of the attention that Makaio got at first, but soon she warmed up to her new little brother.

At just 3 months old, Makaio was already doing shows, and would even follow the other whales around without his mother.

## Life at SeaWorld

Growing up, Makaio spent time with all of the members of the Orlando pod, but especially his mother, sister, Malia and Kayla. He also spent some time with Trua. As he got older, he spent more time with Trua and Tilikum. In 2016, SeaWorld announced an end to their breeding program. As all of the whales at the park were becoming more mature, the males spent increasingly more time together away from the females. Makaio and Katina were frequently kept separate, something that neither of them seemed to take well. They could often be seen trying to interact with each other through gates. In 2017, Tilikum passed away and in 2019, Kayla also passed away.

## Appearance

As of January 2023, trainers predict that Makaio will reach a total weight of 12,000 lbs. Much like his father, this may make Makaio one of the largest killer whales to ever be held in captivity.

## Trivia

* Makaio's name means "Gift of God" in Hawaiian.
* His nicknames are "Mak" and "Kai".
* Makaio was Tilikum's last calf.

## Galleries

* **Photos** of Makaio
* **Videos** of Makaio

## Transfer History

*Makaio has never been transferred out of SeaWorld Orlando.*