Return of the Sea Otter

Return of the Sea Otter
Author: Todd McLeish
Publisher: Sasquatch Books
Total Pages: 257
Release: 2018-03-20
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1632171384

"Captivating. . . . a full portrait of this adorable and ecologically important animal." —Publishers Weekly A science journalist travels the Pacific Coast in search of sea otters in this entertaining and inspiring book on the importance and history of this charismatic endangered species Sea otters—the adorable, furry marine mammals often seen floating on their backs holding hands—reveal the health of the coastal ecosystem along the Pacific Ocean. Once hunted for their prized fur in the 18th and 19th centuries, these animals nearly went extinct. Only now, nearly a century after hunting ceased, are populations showing stable growth in some places. Sea otters are a keystone species in coastal areas, feeding on sea urchins, clams, crab, and other crustaceans. When they are present, kelp beds are thick and healthy, providing homes for an array of sea life. When otters disappear, sea urchins take over, and the kelp disappears along with all the creatures that live in the beds. Now, thanks to their protected status, sea otters are making a comeback in California, Washington, and Alaska. In this hopeful book, science writer Todd McLeish embarks on an epic journey along the Pacific Coast—traveling from California to Alaska—to track the status, health, habits, personality, and viability of sea otters, and reveals how conservationists brought them back from the brink of extinction.

Sea Otter Conservation

Sea Otter Conservation
Author: Shawn Larson
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 468
Release: 2014-12-23
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0128016876

Sea otters are good indicators of ocean health. In addition, they are a keystone species, offering a stabilizing effect on ecosystem, controlling sea urchin populations that would otherwise inflict damage to kelp forest ecosystems. The kelp forest ecosystem is crucial for marine organisms and contains coastal erosion. With the concerns about the imperiled status of sea otter populations in California, Aleutian Archipelago and coastal areas of Russia and Japan, the last several years have shown growth of interest culturally and politically in the status and preservation of sea otter populations. Sea Otter Conservation brings together the vast knowledge of well-respected leaders in the field, offering insight into the more than 100 years of conservation and research that have resulted in recovery from near extinction. This publication assesses the issues influencing prospects for continued conservation and recovery of the sea otter populations and provides insight into how to handle future global changes. - Covers scientific, cultural, economic and political components of sea otter conservation - Provides guidance on how to manage threats to the sea otter populations in the face of future global changes - Highlights the effects that interactions of coastal animals have with the marine ecosystem

Sea Otters

Sea Otters
Author: Richard Ravalli
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2021-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1496225007

An examination of sea otters in a Pacific World context and an exploration of how this iconic sea mammal once defined the world’s largest oceanscape.

Sea Otters

Sea Otters
Author: Isabelle Groc
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2020-04-07
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1459817397

Sea otters once ruled the Pacific Ocean, but the fur trade of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries brought this predator to near extinction. Today they’re slowly coming back from the brink, and scientists are learning more about their pivotal role as one of nature’s keystone species. This book looks at the history, biology, behavior and uncertain future of sea otters. Author and photojournalist Isabelle Groc takes us into the field: watching sea otter rafts off the British Columbia coast from a kayak, exploring what makes their fur coats so special, understanding how their voracious appetites are helping kelp forests thrive and, ultimately, learning how sea otters are leaving their mark (or paws) on every part of the ecosystem. They might be one of the most adorable creatures in the ocean, but kids will discover how their survival is key to a rich, complex and connected ecosystem.

Seababy

Seababy
Author: Ellen Levine
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012-03-13
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 9780802798084

After a baby sea otter is separated from his mother during a storm, he washes up on shore where he is rescued by a human who takes him to an aquarium to recover. There he learns everything he needs to know about surviving in the wild, like how to dive to the bottom of a pool to find clams and how to break them open to eat. Before long the little otter can take care of himself and it's time to return home. He remembers the smell of the ocean he once knew, and soon finds himself surrounded by a new group of otter friends.

What If There Were No Sea Otters?

What If There Were No Sea Otters?
Author: Suzanne Slade
Publisher: Capstone
Total Pages: 14
Release: 2010-07
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 1404863974

Discusses the ocean ecosystem and the role of the sea otter as a keystone species in helping to maintain it, describing the otter's place on the food chain and what would happen if the sea otter were to become extinct.

Sea Otter Rescue

Sea Otter Rescue
Author:
Publisher: Owlkids
Total Pages: 44
Release: 2016
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 9781771471756

Explores how orphaned sea otters are cared for at the Alaska SeaLife Center.

Sea Otter Pup Read-Along

Sea Otter Pup Read-Along
Author: Victoria Miles
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Total Pages: 29
Release: 2017-09-01
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1459817702

Follow along as Pup learns how to eat spiky sea urchins, somersault beneath the waves and groom himself. He still needs lots of help from Mother, but one day Pup will be old enough to dive down below the waves and search for food on his own. Accompanied by beautiful illustrations and set in the North Pacific, this heartwarming tale is perfect for little ones who still have lots to learn themselves.

Otter

Otter
Author: Daniel Allen
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2020-05-11
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1861898932

Although rarely seen in the wild, the otter is admired for its playful character and graceful aquatic agility, fixed in the popular imagination through books and films such as Tarka the Otter and Ring of Bright Water. This is just a small part of its story, however: throughout history, the otter has been hunted for its fur and to prevent it from killing fish. Featuring numerous images from nature and culture, as well as examples from folklore, sports, and literature, this wide-ranging book also explores the movement against otter hunting, and the ongoing efforts promoting otter conservation. A fittingly lively study of its subject, Otter offers a new way of thinking about this much-loved but endangered animal.

Ring of Bright Water

Ring of Bright Water
Author: Gavin Maxwell
Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
Total Pages: 346
Release: 2016-04-15
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1567924840

This volume weaves together the Scottish otter stories from Gavin Maxwell's three non-fiction books, Ring of Bright Water (1960), The Rocks Remain (1963), and Raven Meet Thy Brother (1969). Maxwell was both an extraordinarily evocative writer and a highly unusual man. While touring the Iraqi marshes, he was captivated by an otter and became a devoted advocate of and spokesman for the species. He moved to a remote house in the Scottish highlands, co-habiting there with three otters and living an idyllic and isolated life – at least for a while. Fate, fame, and fire conspired against this paradise, and it, too, came to an end, though the journey was filled with incident and wonder. Maxwell was also talented as an artist, and his sinuous line drawings of these amphibious and engaging creatures, and the homes they occupied, illustrate his story. This book stands as a lasting tribute to a man, his work, and his passion. It was received and has endured as a classic for its portrait not only of otters but also of a man who endured heartaches and disappointments, whose life embodied both greatness and tragedy. He writes with rare eloquence about his birth, his devotion to the beloved Scottish highlands, and the wildlife he loved, while refusing to ignore the darker aspects of his nature and of nature in its larger sense.