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DRAPER — The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is welcoming its newest resident — a beautiful zebra shark — with a naming contest.
The female zebra shark is almost 6 feet long and is about 3 years old. She is the newest marine resident in the 300,000 gallon shark tunnel habitat at the aquarium.
She joins an exhibit that has four other shark species, two sea turtle species, two ray species and dozens of species of fish. Divers accompanied her as she was introduced into the tunnel,
and the aquarium said she eagerly started exploring her new home.
Juvenile zebra sharks have dark bodies with yellowish-white stripes, hence the name zebra shark. As they grow, the shark's stripes disappear and are replaced with brownish spots.
The public is encouraged to submit name suggestions for the shark through the aquarium website by 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The top three will be picked from the suggestions, and then the public will vote on their favorite name.
The person who suggests the winning name will receive two aquarium passes.
Zebra sharks live in the Indian and western Pacific oceans, mainly near the continental shelf where they can find food in the coral reefs and along the ocean floor. The nocturnal species hunts at night and rests on the ocean floor during the day, pumping water over its gills.
Unlike other shark species, zebra sharks do not have to keep swimming in order to breathe, the aquarium said. The species is currently endangered.
The new shark is part of the Saving Animals From Extinction program to contribute to preservation of her wild counterparts. She will be "an instrumental part of inspiring the public to learn more about all sharks' essential roles in our ecosystems," the aquarium said.
