🌊 Dive into the world of Sea Otters with Teri Nicholson, senior research biologist at Monterey Bay Aquarium, as she uncovers the crucial role these mighty marine mammals play in kelp forest ecosystems. By eating grazers (like abalone and urchins), sea otters maintain balance, helping kelp forests—and all those who depend on them—thrive.
Deep Sea Basket StarÂ
You don’t have to twist our arms to have us share our love of the basket star! These deep-sea denizens are echinoderms, a group that includes sea stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea cucumbers, and kin. The brilliant basket stars boast a compact body and long branching arms. This mesmerizing mass of twisting and turning limbs are expertly adept at ensnaring prey that drifts by in the currents.
Meet the Japanese Spider CrabÂ
The mighty Japanese Spider Crab is larger than life. They roam along the seafloor on their long limber legs, which can span up to 12 feet from claw to claw! These slow-moving scavengers spend much of their time searching for dead and decaying fish, invertebrates, and seaweed on the seafloor. Yum!