After more than 12,000 votes from SeaWorld fans, the park’s newest baby killer whale has officially been named.
On Friday, SeaWorld announced that their baby killer whale had been named “Makani,” a Hawaiian word meaning “the wind.”
Makani was the winning name in a weeklong contest voted on by fans of the SeaWorld Facebook page. Other choices included “Hako,” a name of Scandinavian origin meaning “chosen son,” and “Valentino,” a name of Italian origin meaning “strong.”
Makani took the votes by 40 percent for the win.
Little Makani, a male whale, was born on Valentine’s Day 2013 to mother Kasatka. He was her fourth calf and the sixth successful killer whale birth at SeaWorld San Diego.
