Tricia Coyne, The Gainsville Sun
Initially, the brother-sister duo wasn't named because the staff wasn't able to determine the gender (it's a little more complex with otters than with humans, you know). Once the staff knew they were dealing with a boy and a girl, they turned to the public for suggestions and met with an enormous response -- over 1,000 suggestions were submitted through the zoo and The Gainesville Sun.
Many of names, like "Scratch" and "Sniff," only made sense if the pair remained together, reports The Gainesville Sun. But because it's not certain the pups will always live in the same place, it was important to choose names that would work alone. The choices were narrowed to three options for each otter, and then the final selection was made by a staff vote.
Webster was submitted by Greir Young, a retired University of Florida professor familiar with otters, as a nod to the otters' webbed feet. And Jackie Class submitted the choices Asia and Minor as a play on the western Asian region's name.
The names (and incredibly cute otter pups) may be garnering national attention, but Jonathan Miot, assistant director of the teaching zoo, says the zoo staff has yet to use the new names for the baby otters.
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