'Annik' Wins Vote For Name For New Shedd Aquarium Beluga Calf
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The new beluga calf at the Shedd Aquarium now officially has a new name.
On Friday, the aquarium announced that after a vote between five choices for the baby beluga's name, the name Annik had won. Annik means blizzard in the language of the Inuit, the native people of the Canadian Arctic, which is part of the beluga whale's natural range.
The vote was cast both in person at the Shedd and on the aquarium's website.
Many guests pointed out that they noticed the snowy connection between the name Annik and the calf's mother's name, Mauyak, which means "soft snow."
The name Annik won 36 percent of the total vote, or 7,233 of 19,910 votes cast.
The beluga calf was born on July 3 and has been growing steadily – now weighing in at more than 330 pounds. The calf's mother, Mauyak, has had four calves previously, with the most recent being Kimalu in 2012.