Stay on top of what’s happening in the Bay Area with essential Bay Area news stories, sent to your inbox every weekday. The Bay Bay Area-raised host Ericka Cruz Guevarra brings you context and ...

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 ...

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 ...

For a six-week-old orphaned sea otter, life is nothing but playtime—even when you can barely keep your eyes open. This adorable fur ball was found last month on the coast of British Columbia, either ...

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 ...

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 ...

By Christine Heinrichs The sea otter pup was tiny, probably less than 2 weeks old, alone in Morro Bay on an October morning ...

The sea otter’s grooming regimen will be familiar to anyone with a cat. Like cats, sea otters spend considerable time licking and biting their fur to keep it clean and conditioned. Also like cats, ...

A group of otters is called a “romp,” and it’s easy to see why. Otters have a reputation for being social animals with playful behavior, as demonstrated by these North American river otters at Zoo ...