You can help name the Elmwood Park Zoo’s jaguar siblings.
After the unexpected birth of a pair of jaguars, a Montgomery County zoo is giving the public the opportunity to name the cute duo.
The Elmwood Park Zoo announced the naming contest Wednesday to name Inka's jaguar cubs born on Jan. 24.
The birth of the cubs -- one female, one male -- was unexpected. Since the birth, the cubs have slowly grown and become "quite the handful" for their mother, the zoo said. [[415669303, C]]
The sister weighs around 10 pounds and her brother -- featuring a darker nose and darker coat -- weighs around 11 pounds, the zoo said.
"Both cubs are very vocal and very healthy," the zoo said in a news release.
Anyone with an naming idea from Aaron and Abby to Zach and Zara -- or more exotic names -- can email their ideas to naming@elmwoodparkzoo.org. Entries must be received by 4 p.m. on March 15.
The jaguars’ father Zean and Inka were introduced at the Norristown, Pennsylvania zoo in October 2016, said the zoo.
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"Inka remains a very attentive and doting mother," the zoo said. "The cubs will not be introduced to their father due to the threat he poses to his young."
The yet-to-be-named jaguars were the first in 2017 born at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facility, said the zoo. [[26343834, C]]
Inka and her cubs remained out of the public eye as the naming contest took place with no plan to put them on display until summer, the zoo said. The jaguar family is expected to reside in the zoo’s new "Trail of the Jaguar" exhibit, said the zoo.
Carnivorous jaguars, which usually live between 12 to 15 years, are South America's biggest cats, weighing in between 100 to 250 pounds and measuring up to 6-feet long as adults, according to National Geographic. They are considered "near threatened" due to loss of natural habitat, the zoo said.
