Meetings of ACS Monterey Bay
The Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society normally meets
at 7:30 pm on the last Thursday of the month at
Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove, California (across from the
American Tin Cannery Outlet Stores). Meeting date is changed when the
last Thursday conflicts with a holiday. These meetings are free and open
to the public. ACS meetings and activities feature cetacea and various
aspects of the marine environment.
ACS Monterey Bay Program for June 2009
Not just a pretty face: Understanding California's
Sea Otters

Sea Otter - photo © Nancy Black |
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- Thursday, June 25, 2009
- 7 p.m. Refreshments, 7:30 p.m. Program
- Lecture Hall, Monterey Boatworks, Hopkins
Marine Station,
Pacific Grove (Across from American Tin Cannery Outlet Stores)
- Speaker: Gena Bentall, Research Biologist,
Monterey Bay Aquarium
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Monterey Bay is the home of many different species of "charismatic mega
fauna" but if there was a vote to determine which one was the most charismatic,
chances are the sea otter would win. Otters are so cute and they are
fun to watch, even when they are sleeping with their front paws covering
their eyes to shield them from the sun. They spend a lot of their lives
in the kelp forest so they are close to shore and it is easy to see
their day to day activities. Moms caring for their pups and otters doing
summersaults in the water, an essential part of their grooming process,
are easily observed from the coastline. These behaviors attract and
engage even mildly interested observers.
But the California sea otter is so much more than cute and fun to watch.
They are considered by some biologists to be a keystone species, one
that has effects on other living things outside of their own food system;
an indicator species, giving us clues about the health of the near shore
ecosystem and apex predators playing an important role in their own
food web.
Our speaker this month will cover the basics about California sea otters
and she will also bring us up to date about the latest developments
in sea otter research.
Please join us for what promises to be an informative program about
Monterey Bay's most charismatic marine mammal
Related web pages:
|| Glossary || ACS
Monterey Bay home page ||
Last updated June 4, 2009
Sea Otter photo © Nancy Black
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