Researchers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California have linked sea otters to healthy kelp forests off the West Coast. According to a new study published in the journal PLOS Climate, the recovery of Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) in central California happened at the same time that kelp forests in the same […]
Tag: otters
Camera-traps help identify conservation needs of Thailand’s coastal otters
Otters, with their gleeful yikkering, playful presence and sinuous underwater grace, are emblematic of the joy and resilience of nature in many parts of the world. But they aren’t among the first animals that come to mind when we think of Thailand. Yet several species of the sleek aquatic mammal frolic in Thailand’s watery thoroughfares […]
Mystery as Orca Swallows Six Sea Otters Whole
An orca has been found dead with a very strange meal inside its stomach: Six whole sea otters, fully intact, with a seventh stuck in its throat. The orca’s carcass was found off the coast of the Russian Commander Islands in the Bering Sea in 2020. Investigating scientists then discovered the sea otters, weighing a […]
New research reveals forgotten lives of Eurasian otters in Hong Kong
Researchers have gained new insights into the lives and losses of Eurasian otters in Hong Kong, as detailed in a paper published in the journal Oryx. Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest metropolises, and the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is among its most threatened wildlife. Dependence on lowland wetlands makes it particularly susceptible […]
30 years of Otter Conservation
2023 marks the 30th year of caring for otters worldwide by the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF). During this time IOSF has supported projects in 91 countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Philippines, Belarus, Chile, Lithuania, Nepal, Benin, Guyana and Costa Rica. In the charity’s own otter hospital over 250 otters have been […]
Sea Otter Attacks Are Frightening Beachgoers Along California Coastline
Surfing in Santa Cruz took a terrifying turn for Joon Lee, a 40-year-old software engineer, when he found himself under attack by an unexpected assailant – a sea otter. According to the Los Angeles Times, This incident is part of a recent wave of aggressive behavior by an otter off the Santa Cruz coastline, causing […]
World Otter Day – Join the Otter Takeover
IOSF WORLD OTTER DAY takes place each year on the last Wednesday in May and the aim is to draw attention to the 13 species of otter – all of them are listed in the IUCN Red List and populations of 12 of them are still declining. This includes the Eurasian otter which is the […]
Rewilding animals could be key for climate: Report
When it comes to climate solutions, your first thought may not be the wildebeest. But in the Serengeti, these buffalo-looking antelopes are the key to carbon capture. Wildebeest eat large amounts of grass and recycle it back into the soil as dung. So when their population plummeted in the early 1900s due to a disease […]