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 forests tower above the ocean floor, with the large brown algae providing food and shelter for thousands of species. However, they are threatened by storms, pollution, warming waters, and overharvesting. Sea otter population growth during the last century has enhanced kelp forest resilience, according to researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
