The votes are in—'Shani' is the name of our freshwater otter pup

"Shani" is the name of our newest resident, thanks to over 5,000 votes cast online by folks who helped name the 3-month-old female African spotted-necked otter pup. "Shani," (SHAH-NEE) which means "curiosity" or "adventure," earned 62 percent of the total online votes, followed by Nukta, (NEWK-TA) which means "dot," with 25 percent, and Ziwa, (ZEE-WAH) which means "lake" or "pond," with 13 percent. All three names are Swahili, the language spoke in the native sub-Saharan habitats of wild African spotted-necked otters.

Born behind the scenes in September, Shani is the third African spotted-necked otter born at the Aquarium. Visitors can see Shani, her mother Kamili (KAM-IL-EE) and her father Kipenzi (KIP-EN-ZEE) in the Wild About Otters special exhibition.

On Exhibit

Shani has quickly picked up her mother's playfulness with visitors. Now both she and Kamili play "chase" with visitors and swim alongside them at the window of their exhibit.

Growing Up

The third African spotted-necked otter

born at the Aquarium, Shani is growing fast. Her eyes and ears opened when she was a little over a month old and when she was about two months old, she learned how to swim.

River otters are weaned by the time they're three or four months old. At that point they rely on solid foods for their energy and hone their hunting skills until they leave and become independent at one year old. Wild otter pups stay near their family for another year or so, before setting out on their own.

Learn more about our Wild About Otters exhibit.

E-mail this page

Behind-the-Scenes

Watch video of Kamili and Shani behind-the-scenes.

*Please Note:

Inspiring conservation of the oceans