Shedd Aquarium opens up public vote on name for new sea otter
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Shedd Aquarium is asking the public to vote on a name for a sea otter who has joined the group at the aquarium's Abbott Oceanarium.
Two 9-month-old female otters recently arrived at the Shedd. The animal care team that oversees their health and welfare will vote on a name for one, but the aquarium is hosting a digital vote to name the other.
The otters were discovered separately along the California coast with no mother or other adult otters in sight, the aquarium said. They were just a couple of weeks old at the time, and were rescued by the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California.
The otters – currently referred to by their intake numbers, 926 and 929 – were cared for at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California for some time afterward. Upon arriving at the Shedd, they lived behind the scenes for some time as they get used to their caretakers and the other otters.
Both otters have now been introduced to the otter habitat and can sometimes be seen by aquarium guests.
The Shedd Aquarium is asking the public to vote on one of three names for the otter known for now as Otter 929:
- Jade, for Jade Cove in the southern area of Big Sur in California;
- Sunny, after Sunset Beach next to Asilomar Beach in California;
- Willow, after the Willow Creek Picnic Area and Beach in Monterey County, California.
The public can vote as many times as they wish. The poll can be found here.
Voting will close at 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. The names for the otters will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Sea otters are the smallest marine mammal species. They are part of the weasel or mustelid family. Southern sea otters are found in the wild off California's central coast, Northern sea otters are found on the coasts of Alaska and Washington state, and Russian otters are found off Russia and Japan in the Pacific Ocean.
