Photo by Lawrence Layman, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.

Oh, National Zoo, we knew you wouldn’t let us go for long without offering an offering of squee to help us get through these quickly-turning-brisk days. The little critter above is a black-footed ferret kit, born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Front Royal. And, wouldn’t you know it, she needs a name! Your options?

>> Meeteetse: The name of the town in Wyoming where the last 18 black-footed ferrets were discovered in 1981 after they were thought to be extinct.
>> Rosebud: The name of one of 19 sites where captive-bred black-footed ferrets are released. This name comes from the site at the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
>> Shirley: The name of another release site, Shirley Basin, Wyo.
>> Cheyenne: The name of the release site at the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

You can vote online until Friday, November 4; of course, we highly recommend doing the appropriate research before you make such a weighty decision.