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How much do you know about this colorful, long-lived species that's found in waters near and far? Take our quiz to test your knowledge, then head to our Window on Washington Waters habitat to meet local SEAlebrities Rock and Roll, the fame-ish rockfish estimated to be 50–60 years young. 

A message from Seattle Aquarium President & CEO Robert W. Davidson

We at the Seattle Aquarium were greatly saddened to learn of the recent passing of Ken Balcomb: scientist, world-renowned orca expert, and founder and longtime leader of the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island.
 

Meet the Seattle Aquarium’s latest SEAlebrities: Rock and Roll, the rockfish! They are just two fish out of the 14 different rockfish species found at the Seattle Aquarium. But there are many more types of rockfish in the wild, with 24 species in the Pacific Northwest and more than 100 species worldwide.

There are lots of fun things to discover about these tiny, quirky birds that live along beaches up and down the Pacific Coast. Take this quiz to learn more our small but mighty SEAlebrity, Crush the western snowy plover, and other birds of her species!

When people hear that Aina Hori grew up in Hawai‘i, invariably they assume she surfs. She chuckles at this fantasy, clarifying that yes, the beach was her playground, and no, she didn’t ride the waves. Nonetheless, she loved the ocean, and her appreciation grew on elementary school outings. “In Hawai‘i, a lot of field trips take you to nearby beaches,” recalls Aina. “They build an understanding of where we live and why we have to take care of our environment.”

Whitney Golay started volunteering for the Aquarium in 2012 as a beach naturalist. In 2014, she added diving to the mix and, at last count, had logged more than 550 hours of service—all of them in our Pacific Coral Reef habitat. “It’s essentially a mini vacation where I can see tropical fish up close without having to go to Hawai‘i,” she says, “And I’m giving back at the same time.”

At first glance, you might think that people don’t have a lot in common with Crush and her species, Charadrius nivosus. After all, humans can’t fly (at least, not unassisted) and human adults are pretty much guaranteed to weigh more than two slices of sandwich bread (or about 2 ounces, which is where adults of this species typically tip the scales). As it turns out, though, we share a lot of common ground!

Meet the Seattle Aquarium’s latest SEAlebrity: Singa the red lionfish! Singa means “lion” in Indonesian, which is fitting because this species is native to the warm, beautiful waters of the Indo-Pacific. At the Aquarium, you can find Singa in our Tropical Pacific habitat. 

Sharks and rays are vanishing at an alarming rate due to fishing and habitat loss. When these keystone species disappear, their entire ecosystems collapse. For over two years, the Seattle Aquarium has been part of a global coalition devoted to changing the story and “resharking” the ocean.

Senior Aquarist Chris Van Damme gingerly holds one end of a herring when feeding Elliott and the other Pacific spiny dogfish at the Aquarium. Dogfish—who are just as enthusiastic about meals as their furry namesakes—can chomp through their food with astonishing speed and force. As Chris shares in our interview, it’s just one of the many reasons these creatures inspire awe and affection from their caretakers.

It’s fair to say that Senior Aquarist Alan Tomita knows more about porcupinefish than most people. An expert on tropical fish, he’s worked at the Seattle Aquarium for more than three decades. In this Q&A, Alan shares insights from his years spent caring for porcupinefish.

We recently shared an amazing array of fascinating facts about sea otters (here’s a fave: they have up to 10 times more hairs in a square inch of fur than you have on your entire head!). Now we’re going to take a deep dive with our own Sekiu and her “roomie,” Mishka. Our own Caroline Hempstead, lead animal care specialist for sea otters, gave us some great, insider-only details about this dynamic duo—as well as what it took for her to land her dream job as their caretaker.