Loveland Aquarium’s new shark named following public contest

DRAPER — One of the newest members of the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium — a three-year-old, 6-foot-long zebra shark — has a name.

“Introducing: Mara! After a public naming contest, the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium’s new zebra shark has officially been named,” a spokesperson for the aquarium said.

After receiving hundreds of name suggestions from the public, they narrowed it down to the top three: Indra, Mara and Talia. “Mara” won out in the end with a final public vote.

“While Mara can have many meanings,” the aquarium said, “In ancient Hebrew, it can mean ‘of the sea.'”

Guests can view Mara swimming over the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium’s iconic shark tunnel, where she joins four shark species, two sea turtle species, two ray species and numerous species of fish, the aquarium said.

Despite her name, Mara is actually spotted rather than striped like her name suggests. The aquarium said this is because young zebra sharks start out striped, but gradually change to a brown-spotted appearance as they age.

Zebra sharks are listed as endangered species, but that’s something Loveland Aquarium wants to help out with.

“The zebra shark is part of the SAFE program and will contribute to the preservation of her wild counterparts, and be an instrumental part of inspiring the public to learn more about all sharks’ essential roles in our ecosystems,” the aquarium said.