Ohio zoo's new octopus chooses her name: Cora

A giant Pacific octopus that's the star attraction at an Ohio zoo's new reef exhibit has chosen her name by pulling shrimp from a labeled ball.

A giant Pacific octopus that's the star attraction at an Ohio zoo's new reef exhibit has chosen her name by pulling shrimp from a labeled ball. A list of 2,200 suggestions submitted to the Akron Zoo in a public naming contest was narrowed to three options Monday for the 20-pound (9-kilogram), 4-foot-long (1.2-meter-long) octopus, and she chose Cora.

It's a shortened version of coral, which is a popular ctoopus habitat and the theme of the exhibit. The Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/LvJ404 ) reports the octopus made her decision by selecting the ball labeled Cora, pulling out shrimp, and then holding up the winning name with a tentacle as photographers captured the moment. The most-submitted name suggestion had been Octavia. The other option, Scarlet, referred to the creature's reddish skin.