How Bob Got His Name

This is the true story of Bob.

Bob is a green moray eel. In the early 90s, he wasn't named Bob yet. He lived in a bar in Vermont. His owner fed him all the time. He got really really big. One winter, the bar owner gave up trying to keep him. He called the New England Aquarium and asked if they needed a new addition to their Giant Ocean Tank. The Aquarium said "of course!"

Sherrie Floyd and another aquarist hopped in a van and drove up to Vermont to pick up the gigantic moray. They loaded it into a special barrel and set out for the Aquarium. In an unprecedented turn of bad luck, the van broke down and a massive blizzard ensued. Sherrie and her comrade found a kindly Vermonter to leave their barrel o' moray with while they tracked down a mechanic.



Not unlike the lovable shlubs in the Bob Newhart Show, the only mechanics in town were two guys named Bob. They were cordial mechanics, but they couldn't get the van fixed, so the aquarists had to find a rental company. Continuing their stream of good luck, the only car they could rent was a Lexus. So they loaded the Moray into the Lexus and drove it in style to the Aquarium.

When it came time to name the Moray, there was only one name that came to mind--Bob.

This great story came to light recently thanks to a new book about odd Aquarium and Zoo happenings that I saw reviewed on Afarensis. It's called The Rhino With The Glue-On Shoes And Other Surprising True Stories Of Zoo Vets And Their Patients. Bob has a whole chapter in the book written by former Aquarium veterinarian Chittick Nolan. Her account focuses on the (fairly normal) fact that Bob didn't eat for a long time when he first came from the Aquarium and was living in the holding area. However, Bob did eat when his former owner, the bartender, came to visit and fed him.