Oregon Coast Aquarium

Schuster, one of our male resident otter, is on his back holding a small toy. This toy was donated from our enrichment wish list and is perfect for Halloween approaching as the toy is a bight pumpkin!

Schuster, one of our male resident otters, is holding a donated pumpkin toy up to his nose to investigate.

Schuster wanted to show you his new #Halloween toy that was donated from our Enrichment Wishlist! 🎃

Thank you for the donation!

Interested in donating an enrichment item and creating specialized experiences? Learn more via the link in our bio.

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Life Support Staff: Cryptids of the Aquarium

Some say they’re real, others aren’t so sure. Only you can decide for yourself.

Someone has to keep the pumps running, but the elusive nature and unconfirmed sightings of the Life Support Staff have led to their classification as Cryptids of the Aquarium.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omhb...

A collage of octopuses at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. A giant blue octopus made of plastic recovered from the ocean off the coast of Oregon. A picture of an octopus’s tentacles spread on the glass of the aquarium. An octopus’s face dark colored with a pebble like texture to camouflage itself with the cave wall behind it. Photos by Robert Emond.

Today is World Octopus Day. So here is a collection of octopuses I’ve photographed at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

#Photography 📸
#WestCoastKin #Nature
#PhotographersOfBluesky
#BlueskyPhotography
#ocean #sealife #octopus
#PNW #Oregon #Newport
@gailcarriger.bsky.social
@orcoastaquarium.bsky.social

An educator leans over a table to get a closer look at a fish in an acrylic tub; the fish is a brown sculpin, its suction-cup like stomach anchoring it in place against the tub's wall. Trays with educational flyers and biofacts can be seen on the table. The educator has long brown hair and is wearing a blue sleeveless shirt, with an expression of interest on their face.

Educators, join us for our (free!) Educator Open House! Taking place on Saturday, November 8, this is your chance to get more information about planning field trips, collaboration opportunities, and classroom visits and workshops!

Learn more and sign up at aquarium.org/education/teacher-resources

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium ThingsWeOverhear : Octopus Edition.

#ThingsWeOverhear : Octopus Edition.

Octopuses are masters of disguise, and we totally understand the confusion. We're here every step of the way to help you identify these slippery cephalopods!

youtube.com/shorts/5ossZdCD-vY

👏 We love to hear it! Thank you!

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Puffin License Plates - Get Yours!

By bringing the puffin plate to Oregon’s DMV, you’re helping establish an ongoing form of support for wildlife rehab and animal care at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Preorder yours today and get an exclusive puffin plate sticker!
🌊 aquarium.org/puffin-plate 🌊

youtu.be/-_UIcjIu6DM

🦦 Bringing #seaotters back to #Oregon isn’t as simple as opening the floodgates - it takes years of careful planning, science, and a whole lot of teamwork.

Tune into this webinar on 9/22 to learn more! @oregonzoo.bsky.social @orcoastaquarium.bsky.social

🔗 www.elakhaalliance.org/event/soaw-w...

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Washed Ashore at the Oregon Coast Aquarium

Visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium's newest temporary exhibit, featuring larger-than-life sculptures inspired by marine creatures and the threats they face.

Explore Washed Ashore: youtu.be/fu3504Zb4Hc 🌊

Community Engagement Specialist Kathleen teaches in front of a blue felt board covered in images of marine animals. She is wearing green pants, a blue sweater, and black rimmed glasses. She has long brown hair. She is smiling as she talks. She is holding up a card with text that describes animal feeding habits. A student can be seen in the foreground, facing Kathleen, wearing a turquoise t-shirt, her brown hair up in a bun.

We would love for everyone to experience the wonder of the Oregon Coast Aquarium--but for those who can't make the journey to Newport, we offer outreach programs to bring the wonder directly to you.

Read the full story at aquarium.org/ocaq-outreach-programs

Location: Orford Reef tunnel at Oregon Coast Aquarium. An elderly woman in a mobility chair smiles widely at her grandson who sits opposite her in a stroller. He smiles back. Pure joy is evident in their expressions. Both are posed face-to-face in front of an underwater tunnel teaming with rockfish and anemones.

A special thanks to Brooke Davis for sharing this photo with us! We love it when the OCAq experience spans generations. 💙

📷: "Jamie and his great grandmother, Meema. He was born exactly 91 years after her on her birthday. They had the most magical time in the tunnel together."

A profile of a tufted puffin standing atop rockwork in the Oregon Coast Aquarium's Seabird Aviary. It has black features, orange bill and feet, a white face, blue eye rimmed with red, and long golden tufts above its eyes.

🪪Tufted Puffin
📍Seabird Aviary

Thanks KK!

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Meet Pipsqueak, the not-so-giant Pacific Octopus

She's just a baby! Meet Pipsqueak, our not-so-giant Pacific octopus.

youtube.com/shorts/ppIraS8EI3g?si=iOiB1Lr30TAcLFty

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Otter Love Summer - Sea Otter Ice Treat Enrichment

The best way to beat the summer heat? Seafood-filled icy treats.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwFz...

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium We Spared No Expense

We Spared No Expense

Video by Aviculturist Marie 🪶
www.youtube.com/shorts/eNPbm...

Our divers do so much! They do indeed vacuum and scrub 💩, but they also go out and conduct field dives, biodiversity surveys, octopus releases, and more!

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Checking Up on Thor the White Sturgeon

How do you check up on a 175lb fish? It takes plenty of planning, a team of professionals, and some heavy-duty equipment.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vmP...

A brown grass isopod swims in center frame; it has a segmented body and a small pair of antennae. Eelgrass can be seen in the background.

Little critters make a big difference! Grass isopods cling to the eelgrass and feed on little things in the water—in turn, they serve as prey, transferring nutrients up through the food web.

#Isopods #TinybutMighty #OregonCoastAquarium

A green sea anemone sits in frame with a rockfish peering out from behind its right side. The rockfish is a China rockfish, with a dark base color and yellow speckles and bars on its face and head.

Keep your friends close and your anemones closer.

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium National Skunk Day Q&A + Enrichment

Happy #NationalSkunkDay! Tune in for a special skunk Q&A and enrichment session!

Striped skunk brothers Jackson and Palmer are part of our ambassador animal program. They work alongside our educators to teach the public about their wild counterparts. ❤️🦨

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML_e...

Happy birthday, Skinny! 🦭🎂
Our keepers and marine mammals are wishing this fabulous harbor seal a very happy birthday!

Skinny isn't just aging gracefully, she's making history! 🎉 At 50 years old, Skinny is the oldest known harbor seal in the world at @orcoastaquarium.bsky.social

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Skinny's 50th Birthday Celebration

June 3 marked Skinny’s 50th birthday celebration at the #OregonCoastAquarium! Festivities included frozen treats, a pinniped painting session, and fun with fish-filled feeder balls.

A special thanks to Skinny's birthday sponsors--we appreciate you!

youtu.be/S823xMMG2Ww?...

Skinny the harbor seal lies next to her caretaker, who is holding her hand up to Skinny's nose. Skinny is a sleek silvery gray color. Her caretaker is wearing black clothes, purple gloves, and a bright green birthday party hat.

The mammal care team lines up to take a celebratory photo, all wearing birthday party hats. There are eight individuals. In the center a mammalogist holds up a sign saying "happy birthday." Some individuals are holding noise makers and colorful pinwheels.

We're honored to celebrate Skinny's 50th birthday!

In nature, harbor seals can live into their twenties, while those in human care can live into their thirties—the fact that Skinny is 50 years old is absolutely amazing. Huge thanks to everyone celebrating with us today!

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Describe Skinny Using 1 Word Pt. 2

However you want to say it, the bottom line is that Skinny is one long-lived seal! At 50 years old, Skinny is double the average Pacific harbor seal lifespan.

youtube.com/watch?v=QGnkcpaa8EY

🌊aquarium.org/half-century-seal

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Describe Skinny Using 1 Word

We asked our mammalogists to describe Skinny, our 50 year old harbor seal, using one word...the results were....interesting.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF7u...

A square graphic features text that reads: "Lincoln County World Ocean Day, June 8, 2025, Oregon Coast Aquarium." The top half of the graphic is light blue and the bottom half is dark blue, split in the middle with a curved line reminiscent of a wave.

We’re partnering with organizations across Lincoln County to celebrate #WorldOceanDay! Don't forget: on Sundays Lincoln County locals can visit for $5/person! Just bring proof of LC residency to take advantage of this discount.
aquarium.org/world-ocean-day 🌊

YouTube video by Oregon Coast Aquarium Let's Check Up On Skinny!

Dr. Anna, CVT Margot, and Mammalogist Ashley check up on Skinny! These sessions help us make sure she remains healthy and comfortable through her golden years. youtube.com/watch?v=c0kCE_-Ex2s

Celebrate Skinny's 50th birthday with us: aquarium.org/half-century-seal

Earle the sea otter lies on his back, with his face and forepaws in frame. His fur is dark brown, he has a wide nose, and a white whisker "mustache"

Oswald the sea otter sits atop a rock, his entire body visible. He has dark brown fur from his tail to his chest, which gradually becomes white from his forepaws to the top of his head.

Schuster the sea otter floats atop the water, his nose raised in the air and his tongue sticking out just a little bit. He has brown fur on his lower body, which gradually becomes yellow-white towards his chest and head.

Happy #WorldOtterDay! We have three male sea otters at the Oregon Coast Aquarium: Earle, Oswald, and Schuster!
All three came to us after being deemed non-releasable; here, they act as ambassadors for their wild counterparts, inspiring conservation. 🦦

A Lyretail Anthias swims through the water; it's a sleek yellow-orange fish with a bright purple stripe that runs from its eye over its gills, almost looking like eyeliner. Its mouth is wide open. This fish is also often called the sea-goldie.

Our next trading card drops next week! From June 1-7 you can get a trading card featuring the Lyretail Anthias--ask for yours at Admissions. Find our full trading card schedule at aquarium.org/trading-cards 🃏