Kelp forests rely on the top-down pressure sea otters exert via predation on sea urchins. By controlling the sea urchin population, they help manage the grazing pressure on kelp, since sea urchins ...

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

"We wanted to know how did this sea urchin outbreak happen where there are so many otters, how did the otters respond, and what does that mean for the fate of kelp forests here on the Central Coast?" ...

Warming sea ... urchin models confirm that the suction mechanism works, though the water jet and machine vision systems still need to be tested. But even without these in place the Otter Force ...

A southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) foraging on a purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) in Monterey Bay, California, USA. Image by Morgan Rector. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert!