HABITAT: Sea otters inhabit coastal waters, usually less than half a mile from shore. Their typical haunts include precipitous rocky shores, barrier reefs, tidewater stones, and dense kelp forests.

and U.S. Endangered Species Act protection — have helped sea otters rebound. But local populations are still fluctuating, with many declining. Today the species occupies just a tiny fraction of its ...

Without sea otters, sea urchins devour kelp forests and ... the habitat they provide may no longer be suitable for the wide range of sea life they currently support. * Writing this post was ...

HAMANAKA, Hokkaido--Sea otters have pupped off Cape Tofutsu here in eastern Hokkaido. Four pairs of mothers and pups have been spotted since the beginning of July, in a community of up to 14 otters.