Chicago's Shedd Aquarium asking guests to help name new giant Pacific octopus
Giant Pacific Octopus | Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
CHICAGO - During the last week of June, guests at the Shedd Aquarium can help choose the name for a new giant Pacific octopus.
The octopus is the largest species of its kind in the aquatic world.
On average, the giant Pacific octopus' arms span about 14-feet-long and each arm has 280 suckers of various sizes. The suckers connect to the central nervous system that allows the octopus to taste, smell, feel, grasp, release and rotate.
The octopus is known for its intelligence and mastery of camouflage, the Shedd said.
Giant Octopus | Shedd Aquarium/Brenna Hernandez
Shedd guests can visit the Oceans exhibit and vote on a name for the octopus. However, there is a catch. In order to have a say in the naming process, guests need to upgrade their Shedd ticket to attend "Octopus: Blue Planet II 4D Experience." It runs from Monday, June 28 to Sunday, July 4 and costs $4.95 to upgrade.
There are five names visitors can vote on and each one has a reason behind it.
- Anderson: After Dr. Roland Anderson, who died in 2014, former cephalopod researchers in the public aquarium field.
- Attenborough: After Sir David Attenborough, who has reached millions of people and provided a voice to the natural world.
- Dofleini (DOF-lee-knee): A scientific name of the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini).
- Knapp: After Dr. Chuck Knapp, vice president of conservation research at the Shedd.
- Sawyer: After Ernie Sawyer, a former Shedd senior aquarist who retired last year.