Tag: otters

Sea otters get more prey and reduce tooth damage using tools

By Will Dunham (Reuters) – Humans are not alone in the use of tools. Chimpanzees, for instance, crack nuts with stones and use sticks to get at tasty termites. Dolphins are known to employ sponges to protect their beaks while foraging. And a Galapagos Islands finch uses cactus spines to dig grubs out of holes. […]

How Sea Otters Are Protecting the California Coast Against Climate Change

California sea otters were nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century, with only a small number surviving along the central coast. As otters rebounded, a natural experiment unfolded. Scientists could study how otters safeguard California’s underwater kelp forests and marshland, even in the face of worsening climate change. Over the course of the 20th […]

Hungry sea otters help save California’s marshlands from erosion

The return of sea otters and their voracious appetites has helped rescue a section of California marshland, a new study shows. Sea otters eat constantly and one of their favourite snacks is the striped shore crab. These crabs dig burrows and nibble away roots of the marsh grass pickleweed that holds earth in place. Left unchecked, the […]