Her name was Lola: Zoo siamang naming contest ends

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The votes are in, and the Virginia Zoo's baby siamang will be called Lola.

Lola captured 46 percent of the vote in contest to name the Norfolk zoo's baby siamang, a large species of gibbon native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Lola was born on Aug. 20, but zoo staff needed some time to confirm her sex because the baby apes constantly cling to their mothers for the first few months of life. Once they determined she was a girl, the zoo asked for suggestions.

The name Lola beat out three other finalists.

Siamangs have black shaggy hair and a naked face. They grow up to 35 inches in length and 28 pounds.

Like their larger orangutan cousins, habitat loss is threatening their survival in the wild.