Adorably fuzzy sea otters aren’t just cute. The marine mammals serve a crucial role, helping to restore the giant kelp ...

Sea otters help kelp forests recover by controlling sea urchins, but their impact varies. In British Columbia, recovery was ...

A study last year strengthened the link between recovering sea otter populations and the long-term health of kelp forests – ...

Ultimately, there was more species competition off the Golden State, slowing sea otters’ positive impact on the ecosystem. They didn’t have as strong of an effect as they did up north.

But scientists were puzzled as to why the impact of otters on kelp – particularly along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia – varied by location. Now, new research ...

A sea otter floating above ribbons of kelp is undoubtedly one of nature’s cutest scenes. It’s well known that the marine mammals help make these sea surface ‘pillows’ more abundant, by ...