This is Why Sea Otters Are Vital to the Underwater Ecosystem

They may be cute, but they’re helping to combat climate change the only way they know how.

Transcript

00:00Sea otters may be cute and adorable to watch floating around on their backs but these water

00:08faring mammals are helping to combat global warming and they're doing it by promoting the

00:12growth of sea kelp and since you're no doubt asking yourself how here's the assistant manager

00:17for the sea otter research program at Monterey Bay Aquarium Jessica Fuji to explain yeah so we

00:23saw a big increase in urchins in the area and if they go unchecked they can create what's called

00:31an urchin barren which is basically the sea floor will be rocks and just covered in urchins and kelp

00:37is unable to grow but by otters eating those urchins they're able to keep those numbers in

00:44check and allow the kelp forest to be healthy and flourish sea kelp like many ocean plants sequesters

00:50carbon from the atmosphere so by enjoying an all-they-can-eat buffet of the bottom feeders

00:54the sea otters are clearing out much needed underwater landscapes for fields of sea kelp

00:59an ecosystem already under threat by warming oceans and acidifying waters and this area in

01:04the Elkhorn Slough Estuary in California is a case study in how effective sea otters can be

01:09as the area is now a haven where more than 100 endangered sea otters many rehabilitated by the

01:14aquarium are now chowing down on urchins and doing their part to balance an ecosystem on the verge

01:20of collapse