
Selka Is a Surrogate Mother
Surrogate pup, shark-bite survivor, research sea otter...and now, surrogate mother! Our newest exhibit sea otter is also our newest caregiver for stranded pups—and has successfully raised her first.
In April, we introduced Selka to an eight-week-old male pup (ID #774). Initially, she didn't show too much interest; the pup initiated most of the interactions.
But on their third day together, Selka started carrying and grooming the pup, and they both ate well. We left them together overnight, and a bond seemed well established by the following day.
Throughout their four months together, Selka displayed excellent maternal behavior, and the boisterous male pup thrived in her care. In late August we weaned 774 from Selka, who returned to the sea otter exhibit after a short rest. Now a juvenile, 774 is housed behind the scenes with other otters and should be released into the wild later this year.
Historical Records Bequeathed
Sea Otter Genome Completed
More What's New
Construction Begins on Our Center for Ocean Education and Leadership
We're excited to share hat we've raised over $60 million toward our $70 million goal to build our new Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership, and fund our innovative science education programs.
We're deeply grateful to everyone whose generous contributions are helping make this dream a reality—thank you! Now we can truly say we're building a future for the ocean by educating the next generation of ocean stewards.
Construction has begun and we're on track to welcome our first students in 2019. The four-story, 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Center will be able to host thousands of students from kindergarten through high school in a variety of marine science and conservation programs—provided we raise the remaining funds to complete the project.

We Launch an Aquarium Conservation Partnership
Plastic pollution is a growing problem in the ocean, as well as in lakes and rivers. That's why we're among 19 top aquariums in the United States working to champion a new campaign that leads the way toward a world with less single-use plastic.
Through the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, we've joined forces with our colleagues—starting with a commitment to replace plastic straws and shopping bags with renewable and reusable substitutes.
In addition to changing business practices, the partners have launched a nationwide campaign to rally our collective 20 million visitors and drive a national shift toward innovative alternatives to single-use plastic.
Table of Contents
- Director's Note
- We're Strengthening the Heart of Our Animal Care
- Where the Wild Sharks Are
- Online Exclusive: Tracking White Sharks by their Fin-gerprints
- What's New: Sea Otter News from Near and Far, and more
- Thanks: Ocean Legacy Circle Donors, Save the Date