Ferdinand, a beluga whale at SeaWorld San Diego, dies at about 53

Ferdinand, a whale at SeaWorld San Diego — who was said to have been the oldest beluga in any zoo around the world — has died, park officials announced on social media on Friday. He was believed to be about 53 years old.

SeaWorld San Diego said in an Instagram post that Ferdinand “had lived a very full life.”

“We are grateful for the time we had with him at SeaWorld San Diego and the positive impact he had on park guests,” the post reads. “What we have learned from him has enhanced our understanding of how we can all support the conservation of beluga whales in the wild.

“We will miss Ferdinand dearly and we sincerely appreciate the support from our community and his fans all over the world.”

Park officials did not say when or how Ferdinand died, but noted that most references for wild beluga whales indicate they have a lifespan ranging from 30 to 50 years old.

Ferdinand had been at SeaWorld San Diego for about 19 years, coming to the park from Duisberg Zoo in Germany in 2004.

Several people responded to the Instagram post with fond memories of the beluga.

“You lived a long life and defeated all odds. You were an amazing ambassador for your species and touched lives across the planet without knowing,” one person wrote.

Another person posted that Ferdinand had “been at SeaWorld since I was a child. I am so happy I was able to see him when I did. Rest in peace you beautiful boy. You were such a gentle soul.”

In April, SeaWorld San Diego posted a 50-second video about Ferdinand on YouTube. According to the piece, the then-52-year-old whale was at the time “the oldest beluga whale in any zoo in the world.”

A woman in the video pets Ferdinand’s head as she says he weighed 2,000 pounds and ate about 55 pounds of food a day. She said Ferdinand was popular in San Diego, but still had a fan base in Germany, and a website dedicated to him.

Ferdinand was part of a few projects, according to the video, and had his DNA collected for a study that might help researchers identify beluga populations in the wild.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, belugas are “extremely sociable mammals” that live in pods in the Arctic.

National Geographic says begulas range from 13 to 29 feet, weigh 1 to 1.5 tons, and the status of the species is “near threatened.”