NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher now has names for the triplet Asian small-clawed otters born in December after receiving thousands of vote from the public.
The male pups’ names are Nyx, Baloo and Bodhi.
Nyx is the smallest and quietest. He usually has a grumpy face. The name Nyx is a shortened form of Aonyx which is the genus of Asian small-clawed otters.
Baloo is a bear of a pup, likening his name to the word for bear in Hindi. He’s chunky and was the quickest to develop. He is also the loudest and most agile. He is hard to photograph because he’s always on the move.
Bodhi is the longest. He’s sweet and has freckles on his nose. Bodhi is a fig tree regarded as sacred by Buddhists and native to India and Southeast Asia, which is part of the range of Asian small-clawed otters.
The names were announced by another of the aquarium’s otters, Ray, using ice treats made of scallops.
“Ray has been taking part in a lot of exciting predictions, Valentine celebrations and now the name reveal for the pups,” NCAFF Lead Otter Keeper Kristen Upton said in a press release. “Each time we come up with a special enrichment that piques his attention and is also healthy for an Asian small-clawed otter.”
The pups remain behind the scenes with parents Milli and Binx. The two-month-old pups have begun eating solid foods, swimming in deeper water and tussling over shells. The family of five, plus Ray, are an important conservation initiative for the aquarium which is part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The aquarium will offer the otter pups an opportunity to explore the public habitat in the coming weeks. The community is encouraged to follow the NCAFF social media pages—Facebook, Instagram and Threads to be the first to hear when the pups will make their debut.
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