Sea Otters
Dec. 17th, 2024 10:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithScientists celebrate as sea otters devour invasive creatures: 'This is one of the first pieces of good news we’ve gotten'
Sea otters are making great strides toward recovery in California, and new research shows that their growing numbers are directly correlated with the decline of one of the most invasive species in the marine world: the dreaded green crab.
[---8<---]
The research team estimated that sea otters local to the region eat 120,000 green crabs a year.
It’s an essential job, given that green crabs are aggressive predators that habitually outcompete native species and decimate fields of seagrass.
[---8<---]
To stay warm and well-fed in freezing waters, sea otters eat nearly a quarter of their body weight in food every day — and their diet is not just limited to crabs. Sea otters also snack on sea snails, clams, mussels, fish, and sea urchins.
The last item on the menu is especially important, as sea urchins are densely overpopulated and capable of destroying entire kelp forests — carbon-capturing canopies that are vital to ocean health.
This is indeed one of the few pieces of good news I've heard about the environment. Yay, otters!
These are some organizations that support sea otters. Donate and/or volunteer here to help sea otters and reduce both green crabs and sea urchins.
The Otter Project
Sea Otter Foundation & Trust
Sea Otter Recovery Fund
Sea otters are making great strides toward recovery in California, and new research shows that their growing numbers are directly correlated with the decline of one of the most invasive species in the marine world: the dreaded green crab.
[---8<---]
The research team estimated that sea otters local to the region eat 120,000 green crabs a year.
It’s an essential job, given that green crabs are aggressive predators that habitually outcompete native species and decimate fields of seagrass.
[---8<---]
To stay warm and well-fed in freezing waters, sea otters eat nearly a quarter of their body weight in food every day — and their diet is not just limited to crabs. Sea otters also snack on sea snails, clams, mussels, fish, and sea urchins.
The last item on the menu is especially important, as sea urchins are densely overpopulated and capable of destroying entire kelp forests — carbon-capturing canopies that are vital to ocean health.
This is indeed one of the few pieces of good news I've heard about the environment. Yay, otters!
These are some organizations that support sea otters. Donate and/or volunteer here to help sea otters and reduce both green crabs and sea urchins.
The Otter Project
Sea Otter Foundation & Trust
Sea Otter Recovery Fund
Re: Yay
Date: 2024-12-18 07:26 pm (UTC)