Some of us like spicy foods—sea otters like SPINY foods! Cooper and Watson snacking on sea urchins shows us one of the behaviors that make sea otters a keystone species—their big appetite. By keeping populations of kelp-eating invertebrates, like urchins, under control, otters help keep kelp forests healthy. Channel your inner otter and take action for habitats! Sign up for our Surge newsletter for tips on helping the planet: https://shedd.link/2WJZMof | Shedd Aquarium

Rescue, rehabilitate, and release: these are the primary goals for the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s sea otter program. Surrogate sea otters play a key role in getting rescued pups back into the wild. In the PBS Nature episode "Significant Otters,” Monterey Bay Aquarium sea otter experts keep these little fluffballs thriving through our rehabilitation program. Our rescued otters have contributed to a healthy population in Elkhorn Slough over the years, and we no longer release otters there. We do cont