Monterey Kelp & Sea Otters
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, California, USA · North America · ocean_reef
About this place
Examine Enhydra lutris pelage insulation, rock-anvil tool use, and urchin control protecting Macrocystis forests.
For kids: Float with tool-using sea otters wearing Earth's fluffiest fur coat to guard underwater kelp forests!
Monterey Kelp & Sea Otters · 360° Habitat Camp
What to look for
- Floating kelp seat-belt raft — Macrocystis pyrifera surface canopy. Centre the gas-bladder kelp canopy anchoring resting sea otter rafts
- Reef foraging & pocket-rock zone — Strongylocentrotus purpuratus control. Locate the subtidal reef shelf where otters forage with chest-pouch stones
- Upwelling coastal granite point — California Current nutrient upwelling. Scan the wind-driven coastal headland channeling cold nutrient-rich water
Source: Estes & Palmisano (1974), Science; Tinker et al. (2008), PNAS — Sea otter keystone predation & stone-tool specialization.
Ask together: If you floated on your back in ocean waves, how would you keep yourself from drifting away while taking a nap?
Field quiz
Kids' question: How does a sea otter keep its favorite shell-cracking rock safe while diving?
- Tucked inside a cozy skin pocket under its arm
- Balanced on the tip of its nose
- Tied to its tail with seaweed
Answer
Tucked inside a cozy skin pocket under its arm
Adults' question: What happens to coastal Macrocystis forests when keystone sea otters are absent and purple urchins proliferate?
- Urchins sever kelp holdfasts, shifting carbon-rich forests into bare urchin barrens
- Kelp fronds calcify into hard tropical coral
- Purple urchins plant new kelp spores deeper offshore
- Water temperature boils away coastal nutrients
Answer
Urchins sever kelp holdfasts, shifting carbon-rich forests into bare urchin barrens
360° photo: Greg Zaal, CC0
See it live: Live check: Monterey Bay Sea Otter Cam
- By day
- Southern sea otters grooming fluff, somersaulting, & cracking ice treats Resident rescued female otters here act as surrogate mothers, teaching orphaned pups foraging and pelage-grooming skills before wild release.
- By night
- Floating sea otters resting belly-up with tucked paws Holding sparsely furred hind flippers above water while floating supine minimizes conductive heat loss overnight.
Other language: Русский