KURE BEACH, N.C. – The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (NCAFF) wants you to help name three baby otters. The aquarium says the three female Asian small-clawed otter pups are “growing up fast.” The NCAFF says their native habitat is Indonesia, southern China, southern India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines. They are the smallest of the otter species and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. Population numbers are declining because of many threats, including residential and commercial development, deforestation, the illegal pet trade, pollution, climate change, and poaching.
Pup #1
NCAFF workers describe this baby otter was “sassy.” They say she snorts at her mom and the otter team when they weigh and measure the pups. They also say, “Much of the time, her face has a grumpy look on it.”
Pup #2
This baby otter is the smallest of the three otter babies the aquarium says she “has the loudest vocals. She is playful and even though she is the smallest, she was the first to open her eyes.” The say she was the first pup they saw leaving the nest box, and the first one to hit most of the milestones. The say this pup has a spunky personality.
Pup #3
This baby is shy and timid. NCAFF workers say, “She is the last to leave the nest even when her sisters are out exploring.. They write that because of her reserved nature, they are waiting to see other personality traits that set her apart.
According to the aquarium website, the pups were born on May 21, 2022 during a full moon, King Tide and a storm. Shannon Anderson is the otter keeper at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. She says, “The team at the Aquarium researched and shared meaningful naming ideas based on the native habitat of Asian small-clawed otters and the unique circumstances of when they were born. We’re sharing the top four trios of names and asking our community to vote for their favorite.
Here are the 4 name options:
1. Stella, Mae & Selene (moon, Thailand moon goddess and goddess of the moon)
2. Padma, Bulan & Melati (Indonesia’s three national flowers-the Giant Padma, Anggrek bulan, the moth orchid and Melati putih, the Arabian Jasmine.)
3. Tala, Reyna & Ula (bright star, queen and small one)
4. Java, Bali & Nusa (Volcanic islands in Indonesia)
Voting ends Friday, August 26th at noon. You can vote by going to Name the Otter Pups.
