We’ve been systematically underestimating sea otters’ historical habitat
Before the fur trade wiped out the majority of California’s sea otters, thousands inhabited the west coast’s largest estuary—San Francisco Bay. … It is well known that otters perform an important role in coastal kelp forests by keeping herbivorous sea urchins in check. According to a new study, they have an equally important job in estuaries. The finding suggests that reintroducing sea otters to estuaries could benefit those ecosystems.