ACS Monterey Bay Program for June 2009

Not just a pretty face: Understanding California's Sea Otters

Sea Otter - photo © Nancy Black

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

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:

• Monterey Bay Aquarium
  
  
• Links to other web pages about sea otters
  

• Back to list of previous meetings.