New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange ...

Sea otters are keystone species in kelp forests. Kelp forests rely on the top-down pressure sea otters exert via predation on ...

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

Imagine gliding through the chilly, emerald-green waters of the Pacific, sunlight flickering through waving forests of kelp.

Adorably fuzzy sea otters aren’t just cute. The marine mammals serve a crucial role, helping to restore the giant kelp forests they rely on by removing their top predators, the sea urchins.

Marine heat waves that seemed extreme just a decade ago will become commonplace by the end of this century in waters favored ...

Bringing back sunflower sea stars, which are functionally extinct in California, could help restore kelp forests off the ...

The otters devour extraordinary amounts of sea urchins that otherwise would gobble up the kelp that grows in profusion off the state’s central coast, and kelp forests, in turn, are home to ...

There’s a creature lurking in the sea. It’s slick, fast, and if you get too close, it might chomp your face off. No, not sharks or giant squid — sea otters. “Sea otters,” you might say.

Opal is the newest addition of southern sea otters to be seen by the public at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.She will be able to ...

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.