Blog: marine animals

We have all been gripped by the heartbreaking images of our Southern resident orca Tahlequah (also known as J35) as she mourned the death of her calf this past week. At the Seattle Aquarium we are all grieving along with the rest of the world. And though we are sad, we are viewing this as a wakeup call around the health of the Salish Sea and our mission of Inspiring Conservation of Our Marine Environment.

We’re all familiar with the many animals that live among us as they forage for food and navigate around buildings and parks throughout the city. But you might be surprised by new research that shows that a very different neighbor, our very own giant Pacific octopus, has something in common with these city-dwelling animals.

Wish you had a reason to travel to Hawaii during Seattle’s chilly and wet winters? Then you might envy the Seattle Aquarium biologists who travel to the west coast of Hawaii’s Big Island every winter to conduct annual reef surveys, a research project that launched in 2009.

Get in the spirit and keep your eyes out for these festive animals on your next visit to the Aquarium!

Ever wondered what it would be like to be the primary care physician for the 10,000-plus animals that make their homes at the Seattle Aquarium? 

The 2017 wolf eel wrangle is underway! Seattle Aquarium staff members are systematically performing annual check-ups on the Aquarium’s wolf eel population, looking at the condition of wolf eels’ teeth and gums and measuring their lengths, weights and girths.

What are the slightly odd-looking (yet enormously cute) fish that could be described as resembling swimming golf balls in the Aquarium’s Puget Sound Fish exhibit? They’re Pacific spiny lumpsuckers, Eumicrotremus orbis, and the last word in their name is derived from two interesting features.

As we finish up Octopus Week, February 18–26, we thought we’d share the love with a couple amazing relatives of the giant Pacific octopus.

As you may already know, we couldn’t play Cupid to giant Pacific octopuses Pancake and Raspberry this year—turns out Cupid’s arrow had already hit the mark with female Raspberry, who started laying eggs before her blind date with male Pancake.