Ano Reference Sheet

*Cartoon version Ano's eyepatches have more pronounced shapes and his freckles are larger; realism version Ano's eyepatches have more subtle shapes and his freckles are smaller.

Personality:
When in a particularly good mood - which is fairly often despite his loneliness - Ano can be quite energetic and playful and has been known to breach, spyhop, cartwheel, and lobtail (as long as he is what he considers a safe distance from human boats, or there is a physical barrier such as a rock formation between them). Lobtailing is his most commonly observed surface behavior. Ano has been observed holding his mouth slightly open with his teeth exposed in what has been affectionately referred to as a "grin", which is something he seems to do very often when in an especially good mood. He is also often observed curling his tongue, for no obvious reason. Both behaviors are normally displayed at the surface of the water with his head exposed, although he also "grins" underwater less commonly. It is hypothesized that these behaviors are the result of attempted training while he was held in a net pen to be sold to an aquarium.
Ano is very inquisitive by nature, but knows when to be cautious and where to draw the line. In fact, he can be quite flighty and fearful in unfamiliar situations, and is often quite shy when meeting new individuals no matter the species. It seems as though he is unsure of how to behave in a social environment, perhaps due to his many years of isolation. His longing for companionship is evident, but he doesn't seem confident in his ability to interact with others, and often comes off as "socially awkward", if he approaches others at all. He is mostly submissive in nature, and when subjected to bullying, he seems to shut down and allow it even from smaller cetaceans, perhaps hoping that the offending creature(s) will stop on their own if he doesn't defend himself. 

It is noted that for the most part, he seems to crave solitude; though when alone for long periods, he becomes depressed and lonely, and may make awkward attempts to reach out to any temporary companion he can find; normally animals of other species, most commonly manta rays, although he has been seen attempting to interact with seals on numerous occasions. As orcas do not normally frequent New England waters, his interactions with other cetaceans are very limited. He encounters harbor porpoises and atlantic white sided dolphins most often, although the occasional baleen whale is not unheard of. Although his initial personality towards the small dolphins and porpoises was avoidant, as time has gone on, he has begin initiating play with any that will oblige him. Some of the dolphin and porpoise pods that frequent the area have learned that he is not dangerous and will play with him if they have excess energy. On the very rare occasion that an orca pod passes through, Ano may socialize with them briefly, but never joins a pod, or stays with one for very long. 
Ano can be very curious of humans, but his behavior depends on the behavior of the humans themselves. He'll quietly observe them from a distance if they're friendly towards him, but if they aren't friendly, he avoids contact, and wont hesitate to try to intimidate them into backing down if they get too close with jaw popping and splashing displays. He has had many negative experiences involving humans throughout his life, and isn't very trusting of them overall. 

History:
Ano was born into a small resident pod, the son of the matriarch, Imalu. The other pod members included his two older sisters, his older brother, and eventually, his younger brother. Ano bonded closely to his older brother, Kaiko, and one of his older sisters, Nai'a, as well as his younger brother Skana. He and his eldest sister, Alohi, weren't noted to spend much time together, but did not avoid one another. 
In 1999, Skana was captured for the captive industry, giving Ano his first taste of the negative side of human nature other than word of mouth from his mother and older brother. However, he would have a much more up close and personal view of human greed in his teenage years...

In 2008, humans captured Ano (accidentally) along with Alohi's daughter, Tali'a. They were targeting only the youngster, but Ano charged the nets to protect his niece from the same fate that he had witnessed Skana fall to, and ended up getting caught himself. He was older than the targeted capture age, and shipping him via plane would have been more expensive than a calf due to his size - for these reasons, no aquarium was interested in him, but his captors clung to hope and kept him netted. A Canadian park called Seas of Life (ironically, the same aquarium that held his younger brother Skana at that point in time) finally contacted them and requested that Ano remain in an Icelandic net pen facility with their financial support until the construction of their newly renovated orca tank was completed in 2009. He was due to be moved from Iceland to Canada via a portable net pen towed behind a boat due to the costs of chartering a plane that the aquarium could not afford after their renovations, but the transfer did not go smoothly as the boat was exposed to a violent storm upon nearing Canadian waters; Ano escaped the net pen during this time, and was not sighted for the remainder of the year. However, at an estimated age of nineteen in the year 2010, he was sighted and identified off the coast of New England. By then, the aquarium had scrapped plans for orcas and he was not recaptured. Ano has remained in New England waters ever since, where he is monitored whenever possible by research teams and whale watching companies and, occasionally, tourists and/or locals.

Ano was tagged with a suction cup radio tracker in July of 2013 after an extended disappearance, since he was considered of interest to researchers due to the rarity of killer whales in the area. He left the area in September of 2013, and the tracker confirmed that he was heading out to sea, but still within Maine's gulf. However, later that month, the tracker stopped relaying coordinates and visual confirmation of the satellite tag's absence was observed. It is likely that Ano dislodged it while rubbing on rocks offshore and damaged it in the process. He seems to make similar treks further out to sea once in awhile, but always returns to the coast.

Other: 

-Ano's preferred food is herring, but he will consume other species of fish if need be. 
-Most of his freckles are based upon my own, and his personality is based upon mine as well.