Tidal Touch Zone
Did you know?
When a sea urchin “hugs” your finger if you gently touch its spines, it’s actually checking you out: Are you food or predator?
If you’re neither, the animal will just gradually release you.
NOTE: Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, this area is temporarily closed.
Touch low tide
Meet our animals
Sea star arms race
A slow-motion battle
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Don't be fooled by the slow speed - sea stars move on thousands of "feet" to catch prey.
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The video above was sped up 60 times to show how two of our sea stars battled for a clam!
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Protect our Sound
THE THREAT: Animals in Puget Sound face many human-caused threats, like pollution and overfishing. Chemicals and plastic wash down from our streets.
TAKE ACTION: The solution is in our hands. Reduce single-use plastic and find sustainable fish on the Seafood Watch app. And learn more on one of our Explore the Shore beach walks!
Aquarium Stories
What a year this has been! From clouded leopard AI to a new muskox calf, from Zoolights to HeroRATs and everything in between, we’ve captured this year in our best photos of 2020.
Visit the Zoo before the crowds arrive, feed an unusual hero, groom a goat, dive with sharks or go behind-the-scenes of the Pacific Seas Aquarium. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is expanding its Zoo for You exclusive animal experiences with two new premier adventures. In addition to grooming goats, diving with sharks and a behind-the-scenes … Continued
Aquarist John Foster cradled the vermilion rockfish gently in two hands, submersed. Anesthetized, it lay still as veterinarian Dr. Kadie Anderson took a quick documentary photo of its eyes, which bulged to each side. Then Foster lowered the fish – now fully awake – into a water-filled container that looked something like sci-fi author Jules … Continued