Explore the Shore

A group of children skipped down a muddy trail at Tacoma Nature Center, bending to examine nurse logs, gnarled tree roots and an ant hill next to an orange mushroom. “This is the best day ever!” said Murphy Hinds, a second grader at Bryant Montessori. Murphy is one of about 16,000 students guaranteed a field trip this school year due to a new initiative by Tacoma Public Schools, Metro Parks Tacoma and six other community partners. “It has long been…

Plenty of evidence suggests animals are incredibly intelligent: elephants have exceptional memories and demonstrate self-awareness, octopuses use their arms to solve puzzles, and insects, such as bees and ants, work together in colonies. But… have you ever heard of a bilingual walrus? What about two of them? Walruses Balzak (pronounced bell’-zik) and Lakina (pronounced la-kee’-na) at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium prove daily how smart they are. Born in 2016 at Aquarium du Quebec in the French-speaking province, the walruses…

Polar bear twin sisters Astra and Laerke are celebrating their 3rd birthday at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium November 18-19. Since first arriving at the zoo in June, the pair have captivated the South Sound and the entire country, with multiple videos of them going viral in the last few months. They love to polar plung– literally- and dive off their island into their fresh saltwater pool, swim in a kiddie pool in their large pool, and play with barrels and jugs of all sizes.…