The newborn orca at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, growing bigger by the day and already showing plenty of personality, will celebrate its 100th day with the public on Sept 25.

Born on June 17, the calf is the second offspring of its parents. It weighed more than 200 kilograms and measured over 2.5 meters long at birth, making it a sizeable newborn by marine mammal standards.

Currently, the little orca has grown to more than 300 kilograms in weight and 2.65 meters in length. It has also picked up a range of swimming skills, including rolling onto its back, swimming sideways, and blowing bubbles.

The baby orca interacts with a staff member at Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park. [Photo/Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park]

Curious and energetic, the baby orca loves pushing a small toy boat around the pool. It often swims over to the edge to interact with visitors and enjoys receiving head rubs, quickly distinguishing itself as a social butterfly.

Just days earlier, on Sept 13, its older brother — the first orca born in Shanghai — celebrated his fifth birthday. Their births are all the more significant given the challenges of achieving stable reproduction in orcas, a rare species at the top of the marine food chain.