Sea Otters returned to a degraded coastline ate enough crabs to restore balance and cut erosion by 90%

Hungry sea otters helping restore estuary at Moss Landing

They may wear fur coats instead of red capes. But these sea otters are still environmental super heroes, helping to restore scenic Elkhorn Slough near Moss Landing on Monterey Bay.

Sea otters limit coastal erosion in reconalizing California habitat

Sea Otters Returned to a Degraded Coastline Ate Enough Crabs to Restore Balance and Cut Erosion by 90%

Against all odds, a distressed California coastal ecosystem is on the mend, thanks to the insatiable appetite sea otters have for marsh crabs.

Hungry sea otters are helping save California’s marshlands from erosion

Sea Otter eating habits repair California estuary

Brian Silliman: “The sea otters are stabilizing them for free in exchange for an all-you-can-eat crab feast.”

Sea Otters Stabilize Salt Marsh Banks as They Recolonize a Californian Estuary

This article was originally published in UCSB’s ‘The Current‘. (Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Sea otters are making an impact as they return to the wetlands of Central California. Remarkable changes have occurred in the landscape as these adorable animals recolonize their former habitat in the Elkhorn Slough, a salt marsh-dominated coastal estuary in Monterey County. The erosion of creek banks and marsh edges has slowed by up to 90% in areas with la…