Alaska is one of the few places with a legal sea otter fur trade. The species is listed as endangered in some areas, but in Southeast Alaska they’re booming. As part of CoastAlaska’s “Alaska Made” ...

Their fur is so soft it almost led to their extinction, but otters’ recovery has been a boon to Pacific kelp forests, a key ...

California sea otters (Enhydra lutris) — the frolicking mascots of the coast who draw visitors to aquariums in droves and who float among the kelp beds just beyond the surf line — have the densest fur ...

Sea otters have the thickest fur of any mammal, which makes it a valuable commodity. But there are strict regulations surrounding how to market that fur. Coastal Alaska Natives have the right to sell ...

Late last year, Ayse Genisel and her husband moved to the scenic coastal town of Monterey, California. There, on daily walks ...

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.

Q. You once said diamondback terrapins were your favorite turtle. What is your favorite mammal? A. Tough question, because all puppies and kittens, indeed most baby mammals, are engaging. But sea ...

cMadonna Moss set out to answer a simple question, and through in-depth research she came up with a complex answer. The University of Oregon anthropology professor and curator of zooarchaeology for ...

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 ...

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 ...

Carley Thayer’s work is connected to both distant and immediate relatives. Thayer makes earrings and accessories from harvested sea otter fur and pays homage to her Aleut forefathers under the banner ...

Los Angeles They’re cute, furry, and when they’re not chasing each other around kelp forests, they’re floating on their backs like miniature teddy bears. Hunted nearly to extinction for their ...