ZOT! ZOT! ZOT!- Written by Rajesh Padgilwar

Hi Anteaters, ever wondered why UCI calls UCI student’s Anteaters? Or why they end each mail with “ZOT! ZOT! ZOT!”? I know some of you have already googled the answer to this question. But, for others who have not, please allow me to introduce you to the glorious official mascot of UCI; the Anteater.

A mascot is any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Peter, the Anteater, is the celebrity Mascot of UCI (here in this link where you can find more information about Peter, the Anteater, and his history and makeovers: http://uci.edu/peter/). Therefore, when administration emails are sent to students, they address them as “Anteaters”, referring to the fact that they are all anteaters of UCI!!!

In addition, names of a lot of places or organizations on campus start with Anteater, such as: “Anteater Recreation Center (ARC)”, “Anteater Express”, etc.

“ZOT” is the sound that an anteater makes when attacking its prey, which is why it became the campus official battle chant. Therefore, names of some resources on UCI’s campus or links on UCI’s websites start with “ZOT”, such as “ZOT Account”, “ZOT Link”, “ZOT Portal”, “ZOT Mail”, etc.

I am happy that now all of you know what the meaning behind “ZOT” and “Anteater” are. Now, if you are wondering how to do the ZOT chant, follow the link.