Rosa the California Sea Otter

To travel the world bringing awareness of sea otter conservation and the Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is the nation's leading aquarium for rescuing, raising and rehabilitating sea otters. Since it opened, the aquarium has taken in 625 otters, many are treated and released back into the ocean, but some stay to become part of the aquarium’s sea otter program.

Southern sea otters once ranged from Baja California to the Pacific Northwest, but by the 1920s they were considered extinct due to intensive hunting. By 1911, when sea otters gained protection under international treaty, a small group of perhaps 50 otters survived along the remote Big Sur coast. Since then, they've slowly expanded their range and grown in number to nearly 2,800. As of 2012, their range extends from south of Half Moon Bay in the north to south of Point Conception in the south; only a small part of their historic range.

Sea otters are an iconic species, representing the beauty and diversity of life in Monterey Bay. They're also a keystone species, helping keep ocean ecosystems in balance. They eat sea urchins and other invertebrates that graze on giant kelp. Without sea otters, these grazing animals can destroy kelp forests and the animals that live there.

Sea otters are also good indicators of ocean health. Since they are the top predator of invertebrates along the California coast, changes in their health can make scientists aware of variations in the ocean environment itself.

Want to learn about all things otter? Seaotters.com is an education and outreach initiative dedicated to current research and the role it plays in sea otter conservation. It's a collaboration of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, U.C. Santa Cruz, U.C. Davis, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game.
Visit the website to learn more

Want to see the sea otters playing at the Monterey Bay Aquarium ?  Tune into the Otter cam  7 AM to 7 PM Pacific time http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/efc_otter/otter_cam.aspx