Are otters good for the environment?
Islands with sea otters had healthy kelp forests while otter-less islands had barren sea floors littered with sea urchins but no kelp. In nearly eradicating sea otters, humans had disrupted a critical trophic cascade: high sea otter numbers that mean low sea urchin populations that mean healthy kelp forests.
Do otters have a purpose?
Otters are an essential keystone species. Along the Pacific coast, sea otters help control the sea urchin population. Fewer sea urchins in turn help prevent kelp forests from being overgrazed.
How important are sea otters?
The sea otter is an important part of both of these habitats — It’s a keystone species, which means that the health of sea otters is a good indication of the health of other species and ecosystems nearby. In the kelp forest, it eats sea urchins and other animals that graze on giant kelp.
Why do otters sleep in the water?
Sea otters hold hands to stop them from drifting apart and losing each other when they sleep in the water. Otters fear losing their mate to another male while sleeping.
Is it possible to get rid of an otter?
Relocation can be difficult. Otters need a large amount of food, so a pond with a small population of fish will not sustain an otter for long. Otters are not a densely populated animal, and the occasional otter group can be more entertaining than annoying.
What do sea otters do when they are resting?
A group of resting otters is called a raft. Otters love to rest in groups. Researchers have seen concentrations of over 1,000 otters floating together. To keep from drifting away from each other, sea otters will wrap themselves up in seaweed, forming something that resembles a raft.
Why are river otters bad for the environment?
Otters are a playful bunch, enjoying social interactions and daily routines with obvious glee. Due to the large volume of food they consume, otters can prove very problematic for fishermen or private land owners. River otters will also move under mobile homes or decks of houses located very close to the water.
How did the ban on sea otter hunting help the environment?
However, the sea otter’s thick, rich pelt also made it a major target for hunters who, by the 1900s, had brought the animal close to extinction. “Only a dozen or so small colonies survived,” Estes tells us. In the end, an international ban on sea otter hunting was imposed, saving the animal from complete eradication.