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Rocky Shores

At Rocky Shores you can explore a far Northwest world where land and ocean meet; where sea lions dive, seals splash and otters play.

Discover Rocky Shores

Meet our Keepers
Did you know that otters sleep wrapped up in kelp? That seals can waddle on land as well as swim? Our keepers give chats every day.
Daily Presentations
Find it
in the zoo
Follow the arrows past the Pacific Seas Aquarium to find the winding path to Rocky Shores and then continue on to visit the Arctic Tundra.
Plan your day

Meet Our Animals

Walrus
California sea lion
Sea otter
Harbor seal
Puffin
Penguin
Otterly playful
Anything will do.
Libby's favorite toy is a rectangular item from a kid's playhouse. Clara loves a ball.
But both of them love the large purple boomer ball - or just snuggling with each other.
Preening with penguins
All in a day's work.
On a sunny day staff biologists sat in the penguin habitat with a penguin gently pecking them.
While animal care staff scratched the penguin's back, the penguin preened them in return, enjoying the company while other penguins were sitting on eggs.

Protecting Marine Animals

Don't mess with our ocean.

THE THREAT: All marine animals and birds are at risk from ocean threats. Plastic trash chokes and starves; oil spills kill; and overfishing and climate change reduce food.

TAKE ACTION: We can all help protect our oceans by reducing our use of plastic. Bring a reusable water bottle to the Zoo. Skip the straw. Pack lunch sustainably. And tell your friends.

Shore Stories

Bringing Awareness to Sea Otters

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is home to three endangered sea otters in the Rocky Shores habitat. Every year, Sea Otter Awareness Week takes place during the last full week of September … Continued

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Penguin Chick Regina Joins Penguin Point

Penguin chick Regina passed her “swimming lessons” and can now be seen in Penguin Point with the rest of the Magellanic penguin colony. The two-month-old chick, raised by parents Orange … Continued

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Meet Penguin Chick Regina

So fetch! We can’t wait for you to meet penguin chick Regina – named after Regina George from the movie Mean Girls. The growing penguin chick currently lives behind the … Continued

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More Water-loving Animals
Looking for more water-loving animals? Visit green sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, spotted eagle rays and more in our nearby Pacific Seas Aquarium!