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. When ...

Scientists have made an interesting discovery connecting sea otters to forest recovery, reinforcing their role as a keystone species. The researchers were then able to identify patterns, explaining ...

A southern sea otter (not Otter 841!) enjoys the seafood bounty among the kelp a few yards from West Cliff Drive, near Indicators Surf Break, in Santa Cruz. The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary ...

Sea otters play a vital role in maintaining the balance of sensitive kelp forests. Hidden beneath the surface of our coastal seas are towering forests - of kelp. These underwater ecosystems are as ...

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 eating the sea ...

When sea otters were reintroduced along the coastlines of islands in Southern California and British Columbia, researchers saw kelp forests return to areas that were destroyed by sea urchins. But how ...

Sophia is your community news reporter covering the North Coast of San Luis Obispo County, including Los Osos, Morro Bay, Cayucos, Cambria and San Simeon. It’s Sea Otter Awareness Week, which has been ...

After missing from the Oregon coast for more than a century, sea otters are getting a step closer to staging a comeback. Local tribes and nonprofits have received a $1.56 million grant to lead the ...

When people talk about sea otters, the words “cute,” “cuddly,” and “curious” often come to mind. But now you can add another descriptor to that list -- climate change fighters. Along the West Coast ...

If you could walk the ocean floor off the coast of Cape Arago in Oregon in the summer, you’d find yourself in the mysterious green depths of a forest of kelp. Look up, and you’d see sunlight filtering ...