With 43 years of age Marco was our oldest animal and was able to surpass the average life expectancy of a harbour seal. Originally from the Stuttgarter Wilhelma he first went to the Dolphinarium Harderwijk, Netherlands before finally coming to us. For a number of years Marco suffered from a bilateral cataract until his surgery in 2009. Visually heavily impaired Marco has successfully worked in other areas such as acoustics and haptics. As a crowd favourite, Marco regularly charmed our visitors.

Sam came from the Zoo Rheine to the Marine Science Center. He was an animal of stoic composure, a real workhorse. However, he was sometimes selective about which trainer he was willing to work with. He was known to always portray a high level of concentration and accuracy during experiments. In training as well as in experiments Sam was very versatile. He participated in experiments on the earth's magnetic field, on polarization vision, and in acoustics. In our seawater enclosure he proved to be a shrewd hunter.

Malte like his half-brother Nick came from the Zoo Duisburg to us. He was characterized by his concentrated eagerness to work on the one hand and his loyal nature on the other. Over the years, Malte developed very close bonds with the people he worked with. Particularly striking features were his large eyes and the tail between the hind flippers, which had been missing since birth. Malte worked mainly in visual experiments on optic flow, astronavigation and mental rotation but also in hydrodynamics and acoustics.