(CNN) – The alligator missing half of its jaw that was brought to Gatorland Wildlife Park after it was spotted hiking in Florida now has a name, the establishment announced in a video posted to social media on Wednesday.
And the inspiration for the chosen name comes from an old country hit that he sings to a beautiful rival to stop her from stealing his love.
They named the alligator “Jawlene,” which is a play on words between Jaw and Dolly Parton’s popular 1973 song “Jolene.”
The newly baptized Jawlene is treated in isolation from the other animals in Gatorland. According to Alligator Enrichment Coordinator Savannah Boan, the female alligator gained about 0.3 grams.
Gatorland, which took in the alligator earlier this month, chose Jawlene from a list of names suggested by park visitors and fans of the reptile that went viral, park CEO Mark McHugh said in the video.
McHugh also shared that Jawlene reached a new milestone this Wednesday by eating two mice completely by herself using the back of her tongue.
The park has had discussions with animal and human prosthetic manufacturers about a possible upper jaw prosthesis for Jawlene, but decided to wait until the alligator was comfortable in its new environment and gained more weight, McHugh added.
“This little alligator is an absolute treasure,” he said.