When the world’s largest battery power plant caught fire, toxic metals rained down – wetlands captured the fallout The Moss Landing battery fire became an unintended experiment – showing how burning lithium-ion cells scattered nickel, cobalt and manganese over a protected marsh.

After the Moss Landing battery fire, toxic metals — nickel, cobalt & manganese — settled on wetlands. New research shoes that rain & tides are now spreading contamination across marshes, which could have future impacts to wildlife 🦦. Read more → theconversation.com/when-the-wor...

This Thanksgiving, we’re grateful for the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. These landmark laws gave southern sea otters a fighting chance — and their continued recovery is proof that strong environmental laws work.

Have a safe and wildlife-friendly Thanksgiving.

Sea Otter Savvy's Holiday Fundraiser | Bonfire Grab and gift our limited edition Holiday Sweatshirt to support sea otter conservation! . Sea Otter Savvy's Holiday Fundraiser

Get yours here: www.bonfire.com/sea-otter-sa...

1 week until #GivingTuesday! This giving season, promote Peace on Earth with Sea Otter Savvy's Holiday sweatshirt ❤️🦦- a perfect gift - and sure to be a big hit at any party! Your purchase directly funds our programs and furthers sea otter conservation and recovery. @givingtuesday.bsky.social

Partners from Sea Otter Savvy & CDFW teamed up to test the loudness of a quadcopter using a #seaotter decoy, dosimeter, 3 iPhones, and a pair of sea otter socks. This is how we science.

This was follow up research to our study on the effect of drones on sea otter behavior—currently under review.

“You want to know what comes between me and my Calvin’s? One million hairs per square inch.” 👖🦦

#genx #generationx #brookshields #calvinklein

Long‐term change and seasonal spillover risks of fatal acanthocephalan infection in southern sea otters Southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) face numerous risks to population recovery from infectious disease, shark attacks, and biotoxins. Recently, the most significant contributor to fatal infec....

Key points:
• Young otters = highest risk
• Danger peaks in late spring on sandy beaches
• More mole crabs eaten → more AP cases

Read more: esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

New research (Grewelle et al.) reveals a surprising threat to southern sea otters: their prey. Young otters eating Pacific mole crabs can ingest parasitic worms that cause the deadly disease acanthocephalan peritonitis (AP).

Sea otters in Morro Bay are more than just a pretty face—they’re indicators of estuary health.
Since 2019, Cal Poly students have tracked sea otter foraging here, and a new grad student is diving into the data to explore sea otter ecology as this population expands in the estuary. Stay tuned!

Morning Lookout: Otters and human contact; pedestrian/bike path plan amid Murray Street Bridge construction; Cabrillo's magical 'Metamorphoses' Santa Cruz County news and opinion headlines from Lookout for the morning of Monday, Nov. 3.

Start your Monday with stories from Alonso Daboub, Max Chun, Jana Marcus, Wallace Baine, Hillary Ojeda and more, plus Community Voices opinion.

Thank you Alonso and @lookoutsantacruz.bsky.social for an excellent article detailing the current issues and impacts to our urban sea otters - and thank you for being Sea Otter Savvy!

One Pup: The Tragic End for an Urban Sea Otter One Pup: The Tragic End for an Urban Sea Otter By Gena Bentall, Director and Senior Scientist, Sea Otter Savvy Sea otter foraging near boat traffic in a central California coast harbor. Photo by Gena ...

On October 19, 2025, a sea otter mother and her tiny pup were struck by a boat in Monterey Harbor.
They were crowded and harassed at their haul out spot. A few days later, the pup was found dead.
Read the blog from our Director: www.seaottersavvy.org/one-pup

Listen to the new FurReal podcast featuring Sea Otter Savvy today: open.spotify.com/episode/5msb...

Distinctive increase in offspring size in sea otters: evolutionary changes in and beyond the trade-off against offspring number Abstract. Offspring size and number, key fitness components, are expected to evolve under a trade-off between them. In mammals, the evolution of larger off

Read the science: academic.oup.com/jeb/advance-...

Pup size matters! Compared to their mustelid relatives, sea otters have evolved to have fewer—but larger—pups. This evolutionary trade-off may reflect the challenges of raising young entirely at sea, where a bigger body offers warmth, buoyancy, and a better chance of survival. 🧵👇

Puckish sea otters continue board-stealing ways at Steamer Lane “The more prolonged the exposure of sea otters and their offspring are to human activities, the higher the likelihood that this is going to occur more frequently,” one expert told the S…

These kind of incidents are an inevitable product of our relentless encroachment on the sea otters’ home, a process that initiated nearly 300 years ago at the start of the maritime fur trade. @scsentinel.bsky.social

www.santacruzsentinel.com/2025/10/17/p...

Our President, Dr. Lance Morgan, joined by First Officer of the Beach and Sea Otter Ambassador Guinness, were excited to attend our friends @seaottersavvy.bsky.social event at Doran Beach last weekend.

We’re looking forward to more fun at Sea Otter Awareness Week September 21-27, 2025!

Farmers, tribes and scientists gather to talk otters Your really otter put this on your calendar Sept 6

🎨 Sea otter mural + interactive booths from local science orgs & community groups
🏖️ Sea Otter Sand Castle Competition 11 AM–12 PM
Learn how sea otters shape coastal ecosystems and why they matter.

Free & family-friendly! $8 parking

www.sonomacountygazette.com/sonoma-count...

⏰ 1 week to go! Join us at Doran Beach, Bodega Bay for Sea Otters Were Here: Coastal Ecology Pop-Up! 🦦🌊

📅 Sat, Sept 6 | 10 AM–2 PM 🧵👇

Here’s our #seaottersavvy pup Newt!

Volunteer With Sea Otter Savvy Sea Otter Savvy invites you to join efforts to monitor sea otter behavior and activity at selected locations on the Central California Coast.

Find more information (and an application) click here: www.seaottersavvy.org/volunteer

Join our raft! Sea Otter Savvy is recruiting volunteers for our community science and outreach teams in all of our regions: Monterey Bay Area, San Luis Obispo county, and Northern California (outreach only). Make new friends and participate in community science and stewardship! 🧵👇

#volunteer

Get Sea Otter Savvy Certified The Sea Otter Savvy certification system offers rewards to commercial operators, organizations and individuals who have completed our program.

🫵 Your part in making this process work: patronize CAWS-certified businesses like A Kayak Shack to reward them for their stewardship! Look for the “Certified Wildlife Steward logo, sticker, or flag. Ready, set, get on a (CAWS) kayak!
Learn about CAWS: www.seaottersavvy.org/get-sea-otte...

📣 Announcement! Our newest certified Community Active Wildlife Steward is A Kayak Shack in Morro Bay! CAWS businesses are certified when they meet our criteria for wildlife stewardship in their business practices.

#StewardshipSaturday

Sea otters living on the central CA coast avoid competing with their neighbors by becoming prey specialists.
One of the most impressive specialists are the snail eaters. They must eat 100s of tiny turban snails a day to survive.
Hard shell? No worries use a rock!
They are a true master of one!

Jack of all trades or master of one? When sea otters first recolonize an area, they will all eat similar prey — whatever is abundant and calorie rich. But what does a savvy sea otter do when more otter neighbors settle in and favorite prey is harder to find? Diversify!🧵👇
📸Joan Tisdale #tastytuesday

Guidelines For Responsible Sea Otter Viewing Sea Otter Savvy program offers simple guidelines marine recreationists can follow to avoid disturbing sea otters.

Sea otters don’t know better. You DO.

Learn more here www.seaottersavvy.org/viewing-guid...

If a sea otter approaches your kayak or other watercraft

• Stay calm.
• Immediately move away from the sea otter.
• Do not try to photograph, touch, pet, or feed the sea otter.

If this discourages the sea otter, well done! Stay tuned for level 2 next week to learn next steps! 🧵👇

It’s time for our #SummerSeaOtterSafetySeries!

Level 1: Sea otters are naturally wary of people and avoid interactions; if a sea otter approaches you, that is abnormal behavior. It is your responsibility to avoid and discourage these interactions: steps 🧵👇

#KeepWildlifeWild #SeaOtterSavvy

Your voice matters too! Reach out to your representatives and remind them that strong environmental protections are non-negotiable. Find your representative:
www.house.gov/representati...

#SeaOtterSavvy #shareyourvoice #wethepeople