Blog

Our cuttlefish in the Ocean Oddities exhibit can often be found under the soft corals and anemones in their enclosure, but last week two of them were perched atop these two cnidarians. Although capable of matching their surroundings, both animals remained in the contrasting darker coloration seen in both photos.

The Seattle Aquarium is proud to be a founding partner with Pearl Jam and 12 other local businesses of Forterra's carbon mitigating program, called Carbon Capturing Companies (C3). The C3 Program provides an opportunity for businesses and individuals to partner with local non-profits and community service groups to plant native conifer trees in parks, right of ways, transportation corridors and natural areas in an effort to voluntarily reduce our impact on the climate.

Otter 501 is premiering Friday, May 18 at 5pm at the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle. Additional showings will be on Saturday, May 19 at 3pm and 5pm, Sunday, May 20 at 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm.

On Thursday, April 26th, male harbor seal "Q" was transported to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA), joining four female harbor seals. Later that afternoon, Barney met a new friend, 7 year old female "Siku" (pronounced see-koo) from PDZA.

This female sharpnose crab, Scyra acutifrons, at left was releasing her young into the water in our Life on the Edge exhibit.

Harbor seals are the most abundant marine mammal living in Puget Sound and it’s almost impossible to tell a male from a female just by looking at them. The two male harbor seals at the aquarium usually weigh the most during the winter and lose some weight in the summer as the water temperature increases.

Ever wonder how we make our enrichment ice toys for our marine mammals? Well here is a recipe for Northern fur seal and harbor seal ice toys!

Many adult marine mammals gain and lose weight throughout the year depending on the water temperature, food availability and behavioral changes associated with breeding seasons. Here at the Seattle Aquarium we weigh our marine mammals at least twice a month in order to monitor their health. 

James L. Bodkin leads the sea otter and coastal marine ecosystems project for the USGS Alaska Science Center. He has spent more than 30 years studying sea otters from California to Russia and has published more than 160 papers resulting from his research.

Earlier this month the Seattle Aquarium was pleased to host 15 leading sea otter scientists to assess three years of Pacific Coast field research regarding sea otter population trends – part of the largest single study of sea otter populations and their environments ever attempted. The project is led by James L. Bodkin, who recently received the Seattle Aquarium Research Award.

Several Seattle Aquarium employees volunteered to help organize and participate as officials in this year's Orca Bowl. Orca Bowl is a full day competition that tests high school students' knowledge about the world's oceans. The competition is organized in a round-robin format, with a double elimination round for the top teams.