From kelp forests to sea grass meadows, these charismatic predators are quietly holding parts of the coast together.

A southern sea otter with a purple sea urchin in Monterey Bay, California. (Credit: Morgan Rector) (CN) — Sea otters are voracious eaters, munching away on shellfish, urchins and other invertebrates ...

Chanel Hason gets a lot of false reports of sea otters on the Oregon Coast. "I get email several times a month of someone saying they saw a sea otter running along the beach in Oregon somewhere,” said ...

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 ...

Sea otters play a vital role in their ecosystems by controlling sea urchin populations. Without otters, urchins can overgraze kelp forests, causing widespread destruction. By keeping urchins in check, ...