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This small but well-done facility traces its origins to the efforts of two young city residents who built a saltwater aquarium on a pavilion overlooking Commencement Bay in 1930. Their endeavor ultimately inspired the creation of a non-profit Zoological Society that resulted in the current 29-acre zoo and aquarium complex, which houses more than 5,000 animals representing almost 300 species. A nationally recognized leader in the captive breeding and re-introduction of red wolves, the zoo sometimes echoes with their howls.Rocky Shores, the zoo's signature attraction, features sleek white beluga whales swimming through cold, rock-edged pools. Arctic Tundra contains large habitats for polar bears, musk oxen and Arctic foxes. At Discovery Reef, a simulated South Pacific environment is home to seven species of sharks. An abrupt change of atmosphere heralds the North Pacific area, dominated by a large open pool with marine creatures of that region.