Underwater surfaces can get grimy as they accumulate dirt, algae and bacteria, a process scientists call “fouling.” But furry mammals like beavers and otters that spend most of their lives wet manage ...

Dr. Shawn Larson studies otters and how they can recover imperiled ecosystems. Dr. Shawn Larson spends her days in the field watching her favorite fuzzy sea mammal ride the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

Sea otters are famed for their luscious pelts, but the fur almost led to their extinction. By 1938, only a tiny population of ~50 remained clinging to the central California coast. Since then, the ...

The sea otter’s grooming regimen will be familiar to anyone with a cat. Like cats, sea otters spend considerable time licking and biting their fur to keep it clean and conditioned. Also like cats, ...

Unlike most marine mammals, sea otters are primarily insulated by fur, not blubber. In fact they have the densest fur in the animal kingdom. Sadly that thick, resplendent coat has also given otters ...