Whale or little alien? How can we be sure...
A couple of months ago we covered the birth of a baby beluga whale to mama Mauyak at the Shedd Aquarium. Well now Shedd is asking for your help in naming the rambunctious little tyke. A variety of names from the Pacific Northwest that are equally meaningless to an English speaker's ear can be selected:
Ipiktok (Ip-eek-tock) Very keen or sharp
Opipok (Oh-pee-pock) Admirable, to admire
Tuwawi (Too-wah-wee) Quick
Nilak (Nee-lock) Fresh water ice
Kimalu (Kee-ma-loo) Traditional Inuit name given to special people
Mituk (Mee-took) Small snow layer on fishing hole
Nunavik (New-na-vik) Friendly, beautiful, and wild
Aniuk (Ah-nee-ook) Snow for drinking water
Aput (Ah-poot) Snow on ground
Akiak (Ah-kee-ock) Brave
Ipecac (Ip-ee-kak) Emetic, a substance used to induce vomiting
And finally, the write-in option!!!
This is where you come in. It's a two-step process. First, we are asking Zooillogix readers to...
...propose the name they think is best. Back in college, we had a dog we named "Fifa '98" after the epic soccer game for Playstation. Why not "NHL '92" for this little guy? It's kind of ice related!
Well anyway, most of you probably never played NHL '92 and suffered through the epic Blackhawks/Red Wings battles I did and it probably doesn't sound like a great name to you. The key was to sub Osgood in for Essensa, even back then, but I digress. What we're asking is for you to propose a name. Next week, we'll pick the winner and ask our readers to all vote for that name. What are the odds of us winning? Not good! But we will give it our best shot.
Follow this link for more information on the baby beluga soon to be formerly known as Baby Beluga. We'll leave you with some Cuteoverload-esque photos.
Cute...
Cuter...
I'm literally nauseous... Also, is this evidence for early onset obesity in other species?
Comments
"Bob"
'Cos mostly, that's what it does.
Posted by: Anon | November 29, 2007 8:17 PM
I like the hockey idea. But my own suggestion is Boogieloogie.
Posted by: Homie Bear | November 29, 2007 8:19 PM
Mister Splashy Pants Jr.
Posted by: SubFuze | November 29, 2007 8:58 PM
i wonder how you say "naked sea grub" in inuit...
Posted by: Andrew | November 30, 2007 12:47 AM
Blenny the Beluga. Or Gobi.
Posted by: Myles | November 30, 2007 2:01 AM
Mizuko. It's Japanese for "water child". It's what they use to refer to miscarried or aborted children, but they still use it as a name for children who survive birth.
Posted by: NickV | November 30, 2007 3:53 AM
I like Nick V's suggestion. But that last option on your list nearly made me spew coffee on to a computer I do not own. Whew. I didn't.
Posted by: Sue Ann Kendall | November 30, 2007 9:19 AM
Holy crap, Nick V. That suggestion is amazing!
I'm going to vote for 'oishii'. That's Japanese for 'delicious'.
Posted by: Benny | November 30, 2007 11:06 AM
Based on the sound of the various Pacific Northwest Native American names, I'd say one of the Pythons had studied anthropology in the Oregon/Washington/British Columbia area. I dub this critter:
Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing! (Or, "the beluga who was formerly named 'Ni!'")
Posted by: G Felis | November 30, 2007 12:46 PM
Like whales? Check this out!
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gcCeUp_7uUHMIsfClNjny-kDOJ1w
Posted by: Benny | November 30, 2007 1:23 PM
How about "Bubbles"?
Posted by: sally | November 30, 2007 6:46 PM