Rocky Shores & Arctic Tundra

Twin sisters Astra and Laerke (pronounced LAIR-keh) spent their early years apart due to a medical emergency faced by Laerke. They were reintroduced in spring 2023, and now the pair are inseparable.

Find our polar bears in the Arctic Tundra near Rocky Shores!

Walruses Balzak (pronounced bell’-zik) and Lakina (pronounced la-kee’-na), born just weeks apart, are 6-years-old and have been together their entire lives. Lakina is more inquisitive and curious while Balzak is more reserved and patient, and they are both quick learners.

Walruses are found in the icy Arctic waters. They prefer to haul out on polar ice but will use small rocky islands when ice isn’t available. Find ours in Rocky Shores.

How can you tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion? Seals have ear holes, while sea lions have ear flaps. They also “walk” on land using their fore-flippers, while seals scoot on their bellies.

Here at the Zoo we have four sea lions: Björn, Matia, Eloise and Boomer. Sometimes they’re together, sometimes not – keep a look out in the main pool habitat!

Sea otters are very social – and ours are no exception! Moea, Clara and Libby love to play together or just snuggle – but they’re also extremely curious and will explore objects like cups or balls.

It’s hard to resist those beautiful big eyes. But harbor seals have special eyes for a reason – their flattened corneas help them take in more light, making it easier to see underwater.

You might just spot one in nearby Puget Sound, but ours are a lot easier to find in the big pools of Rocky Shores.

Plenty of sea birds live along the shores of Alaska and British Columbia, and in the Rocky Shores habitat we have three kinds: tufted puffins, with their classic tuft of feathers on the back of their heads; horned puffins, who sport a curvy black “horn” of feathers over their eyes in summer; and murres, with their white chests and smooth black backs.

Our Magellanic penguins are cared for by Rocky Shores keepers – but there’s a big difference between them and the other inhabitants. They don’t live in the same place! In the wild, penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere, close to Antarctica, while Pacific walrus, sea otters, California sea lions and harbor seals live in the Northern Hemisphere.

Here at the Zoo you’ll also find them in a different place: just uphill from the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater.

We have two muskox! These shaggy bovines have roamed the frozen Arctic for thousands of years, munching on moss and gathering in herds for protection.

Our muskox have an enormous grassy tundra of their own, kept fairly free of trees just as it would be in their wild habitat.

Arctic foxes can definitely deal with cold weather! They have thick, heavy tails for extra cover, and grow thicker fur in winter. And in a blizzard they can tunnel under the snow to keep warm.