Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem

Sea Otter Heroes: The Predators That Saved an Ecosystem — page 1
A JOURNEY BEGINS WHAT DOES A PLAYFUL SEA OTTER HAVE TO DO WITH FLOWERING SEAGRASS THAT GROWS UNDERWATER While they share an ocean home one is a mammal and the other is a plant One eats crabs and fish The other uses photosynthesis to make food One frolics in the sea The other sways to an underwater rhythm But in fact a critical link between the two exists a link that marine biologist Brent Hughes found completely by accident Finding that connection solved a scientific mystery that Brent had almost given up on From a young age Brent enjoyed figuring out the how and why of marine life I had only visited the ocean a handful of times as a kid said Brent who grew up in Kansas more than 1,000 miles 1,609 kilometers from the nearest ocean But I spent a lot of time near the Great Lakes I was drawn to Scientists Brent Hughes right and Lilian Carswell motor up the Elkhorn Slough Brent relied on Lilian’s sea otter expertise during his research