Lagoon
Get Tropical
A swirl of vibrant, Day-Glo color. Swishing tails, fluttering fins. Leopard prints, neon yellow stripes, hot orange lips. It’s a balmy, tropical world in the Lagoon, with fish, eels and even a shark swimming in a sandy, Indo-Pacific reef.
Swim into the Lagoon
11am Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun
NOTE: No strollers, food or drink, please.
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Wrasse
Time to clean up.
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Wrasse come in many shapes, colors and sizes, from 3 inches to 8 feet.
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Some maintain cleaning stations for other fish, removing parasites and dead tissue.
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Tang tails
Slashing, slicing
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Tangs are oval shaped fish with a sharp spine at the base of their tails.
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It can slash intruders or be as exact as a surgeon's scalpel.
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Angelfish
It's all about looks.
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Angelfish have bright color patterns they use to identify threats to their territory.
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Young fish look different from adults so they can swim nearby without being chased.
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A Plastic Ocean?
THE THREAT: By 2050, scientists predict that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Plastic trash builds up on land and, despite our best efforts, eventually blows or washes out to sea, where it chokes and starves marine animals.
HOW TO HELP: Reduce your use of plastic. Choose reusable items like lunch wrappings and water bottles; say no to straws and extra packaging. Help protect our ocean.
Aquarium Stories
Ocean Voices Speaker Series As part of the Pacific Seas Aquarium Community Celebration, every Tuesday evening this April we’re gathering the best local scientists and ocean activists we can find for a dynamic speaker series at venues around Tacoma. Come listen, learn and be inspired to protect our ocean. All events are free. April … Continued
Playing with an octopus isn’t in everyone’s job description. But for aquarium staff Paige Gutierrez and Tai Fripp, it’s all part of caring for Ozzie, the giant Pacific octopus inside the Pacific Seas Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Why? Because an octopus is curious – and if an aquarist is cleaning her habitat, … Continued
In clear, blue Baja Bay, three scuba divers are drifting alongside eagle rays and brightly-colored fish. They’re moving slowly, and unlike most divers in tropical waters, they’re not gazing admiringly at the animals around them. Because these divers are aquarists at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium – and they’re hard at work. “We clean, we … Continued