Sea otters are keystone species in kelp forests. Kelp forests rely on the top-down pressure sea otters exert via predation on ...

Bringing back sunflower sea stars, which are functionally extinct in California, could help restore kelp forests off the ...

Marine heat waves that seemed extreme just a decade ago will become commonplace by the end of this century in waters favored ...

The otters devour extraordinary amounts of sea urchins that otherwise would gobble up the kelp that grows in profusion off the state’s central coast, and kelp forests, in turn, are home to ...

Much of the bay’s floor is covered by soft sediments that are less suitable to urchins and kelp, and otters have adjusted accordingly, feasting more frequently on clams. (Unlike seals and sea lions, ...

Scientists have been able to study the complicated relationship between the otters, kelp and shellfish that exists in the healthy habitats." Sea otters are the smallest of the marine mammals ...

But it’s not just staying afloat that’s key to a life at sea – groups of otters hold hands and tangle themselves in kelp forests to make sure they don’t drift apart.

Adorably fuzzy sea otters aren’t just cute. The marine mammals serve a crucial role, helping to restore the giant kelp forests they rely on by removing their top predators, the sea urchins. Kelp ...

HABITAT: Sea otters inhabit coastal waters, usually less than half a mile from shore. Their typical haunts include precipitous rocky shores, barrier reefs, tidewater stones, and dense kelp forests.

where other urchin nemeses — like otters, spiny lobsters and sheephead — are lacking, 96% of the region’s kelp forests vanished in the decade following the sea star collapse. “It's kind of ...