Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

Plant lovers, you’ll want to check this out! Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is home to over a dozen Nolina hibernica ‘La Siberica.’ Right now, guests can see five of them sending up giant flowering stems 5 to 6 feet tall and covered with tiny white flowers that bees buzz about. These massive succulent-looking plants […]

Nearly 900 observers participated in this year’s City Nature Challenge spanning King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, including Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Snohomish, and any place in between. From April 26 through April 29, community scientists submitted 16,395 nature observations—up 63% from 2023—and identified 1,868 species (+30%), showing the world the incredible biodiversity in the region’s […]

For more than three decades, the South Pacific Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has transported guests to warmer waters full of curious sharks, colorful coral, and rainbows of tropical fish. The mesmerizing Blue Hole has always been magical. But the magic paused in November 2021, so the aquarium could get a refresh. On […]

We are five red wolves closer to recovering the iconic American species. Three males and two females were born in April at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s off-site breeding facility in Eatonville, where the largest red wolf population in the world resides.  Adorable and growing fast, the pups are part of the latest success in […]

New fish, sharks and rays have arrived as the updated Tropical Reef Aquarium gets its finishing touches. The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium healthcare team has been working diligently to ensure each new resident moves into their new home in good health. Some of the new residents include an Australian whipray, zebra sharks and whitetip reef sharks. […]

TACOMA, Wash.– The Tropical Reef Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will reopen June 14, after extensive restoration and repair of critical animal-care structures, habitats, and life support systems. The 25,000 square foot aquarium, previously known as the South Pacific Aquarium, is an oasis of warm-water marine beauty, with vibrant, tropical fish and new […]

Tacoma, Wash.—There are new kids on the block! Goat kids Kettle, Biscuit, Hopper, Crumpet, Daisy Mae, Rhubarb, and Thistle, named by their keepers, arrived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Saturday.  The 7-week-old kids are viewable to guests (not for touching or feeding, yet) in the Kids’ Zone area of the zoo but won’t […]

It’s that time of year again! Our Magellanic penguins have found their mates and are in the middle of nesting season. Earlier this month, keepers observed our penguin pairs snuggling in their nests. It wasn’t much longer before we saw the eggs being kept warm. Each year, keepers prepare Penguin Point for nesting season. They add long […]

They have thick trunks and twisting branches, like winding pathways through time. Their acorns have fallen to the ground, easy pickings for the gray squirrels, birds, and deer that call Oak Tree Park in South Tacoma their home. On a sunny March afternoon, the acorns from the old Garry Oak trees have also caught the […]