BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (1010 WINS) — The Connecticut Beardsley Zoo is looking for help naming its baby giant anteater and opened a poll this week so fans can help find the right fit for the young animal.
The contest was announced on Monday as zoo officials plan to bestow a name upon their female giant anteater, born on Aug. 27, 2027 to her mother Pana. Pana was born in 2009 and is described as an experienced and attentive mother.
Fans are being asked to choose between three names for the baby. The options are Kayapó, after Brazil’s Indigenous people; Ramo, which is Portuguese for branch or stick, a nod to her climbing nature; or Merida, to celebrate her brave and adventurous spirit.
Voting ends at 11:59 a.m. on Thursday, and ballots can be cast at this link form.
The baby is the fourth giant anteater to be born at the zoo, which officials said is a significant milestone in conservation for the species. Giant anteaters are considered a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and other environmental threats affecting their population.
Giant anteaters are the largest species in the anteater family and can grow up to 100 pounds and seven feet long.