ROTTERDAM — The VIA Aquarium in Rotterdam boasts a brand-new octopus.

One thing’s missing: a name.

That’s where you come in.

California two-spot octopus has joined the aquarium from Woods Hole Marine [Biological] Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass. where it was raised until it was about six months old. On May 20, the VIA Aquarium will be holding a “Name Our Octopus Day” where attendees can vote on what to call the cephalopod. The aquarium will come up with eight names — one for each tentacle — and those at the event will vote for the favorite. The winner will become the animal’s moniker.

“My personal favorite is Dakota,” Julie McNulty, biology manager at the aquarium said.

VIA Aquarium puts on educational demonstrations that allow children to get a deeper view of the marine life. Shannon Perrott heads the education department and leads several of these demonstrations.

“I love to talk about camouflage, they’re [octopuses] in particular amazing at mimicry and camouflage. So being able to have some fun with kids and ask ‘can you find this animal?’”is really fun because he blends in really well with the tank,” Perrott said. Read rest of the article here.

Source: New Octopus at VIA Aquarium Needs a Name | The Daily Gazette