Earth (pronounced UHRth), or アース, was a 16-year-old male Icelandic killer whale who lived at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in Japan. Earth was born tail-first at 11:44 am JST on October 13th, 2008, at Kamogawa Sea World. His mother was Lovey and his father was Oscar. He was 7 years old when he was moved from Kamogawa to Port of Nagoya, switching places with his aunt, Ran II. Earth passed away on August 3rd, 2025.
Birth & Early Life[]
Lovey gave birth to a healthy male calf, sired by Oscar, on the morning of October 13th, 2008, at Kamogawa Sea World. Because she had observed the births of her sisters, Lovey had already experienced calf-rearing at that time and showed excellent maternal instincts towards Earth. His aunt, Lara, took interest in the new baby and helped raise him alongside his mother. Following the birth, trainers split the pod into two social groups: Lovey, Earth, Lara, and Oscar were kept in the main pool, while Stella, Bingo, and Ran were grouped in the back pool. On December 14th, 2011, Stella, Bingo, and Ran moved to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium. The others remained at Kamogawa Sea World.
On July 19th, 2012, Lovey gave birth to Earth's sister named Luna. He showed great interest in Luna, and the two often played together. However, Earth would often play "too rough" with the young calf, causing Lovey to displace him for it. His mother's aggressive behavior towards him would only increase as time went on. After months of aggression and displacement from Lovey, he was separated and put in the back pool with Oscar. Later that year, on December 20th, Oscar passed away after becoming ill just two days before. Not long after his death, trainers attempted to reunite Earth with the rest of the pod. Things would not go well, as Earth received the same level of aggression as he had before. For this reason, Earth was again separated and remained alone in the back pool.
Life at Port of Nagoya[]
On December 7th, 2015, Earth was moved to the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium in order to improve his living conditions. He joined his grandmother Stella, and her new daughter Lynn. Around the same time that Earth was moved, Ran was moved out of Nagoya and back to Kamogawa where he had come from. He formed a close bond with Lynn and spent a lot of time with her and Stella. As years passed, Earth was more frequently separated from the females and had to spend most of his time alone. On the occasion that they were grouped, Earth and Lynn were typically the pair performing in shows.
In March 2024, Stella was moved out of Nagoya and into Kobe Suma Sea World. Since then, Earth and Lynn were grouped together. They would be seen in and out of shows and continue to maintain a close bond.
Death[]
In early August 2025, Earth was reportedly acting lethargic and uninterested in trainers. He passed away shortly thereafter; the cause of death is under investigation.
Personality[]
Despite his size, Earth is described to be incredibly gentle. He enjoys spending quality time with trainers and his aunt Lynn.
Appearance[]
Earth is the largest orca in Japan. He has large pectoral fins and a freckle towards the end of his right eye patch. His tail flukes have a distinctive shape to them, and have multiple dark markings on the white underside of his flukes. These markings almost completely covered the white underside of his flukes when he was a calf, and are noticeably "stretched out" from when he grew.
Transfer History[]
| FROM: | TO: | ON: |
|---|---|---|
| Kamogawa Sea World, Japan | Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium, Japan | Dec. 07, 2015 |
Galleries[]
- Photos of Earth
- Videos of Earth
