What do bison, beaver, wolves and sea otters all have in common? They're keystone species. That means they have an outsized impact on their ecosystem. It took humans driving some of these to near ...

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 ...

A sea otter floating above ribbons of kelp is undoubtedly one of nature’s cutest scenes. It’s well known that the marine ...

Nature has a fantastic ability to protect itself from environmental changes that negatively impact entire ecosystems. Though every ecosystem has a delicate balance, it also has natural systems built ...

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 ...

A keystone in an arch's crown secures the other stones in place. Keystone species play the same role in many ecological communities by maintaining the structure and integrity of the community. The ...

As invasive green crabs wreak havoc on California's estuaries, a new study has found that a restored sea otter population might be the solution. Yes, says ecologist Rikke Jeppesen, whose team at ...

Cannon Beach is known as a tourist destination, but a pair of visitors spotted this week is causing a stir. Two sea otters were seen near Ecola Point on Friday. There has not been an established ...