Our igloo post was inspired when this super cool video by Be Smart on @pbs.org "How an Igloo Keeps You Warm", popped up in my YouTube recommendations. youtu.be/1L7EI0vKVuU?...

What do sea otters and igloos have in common? Sea otter fur and an igloo keep things warm using the same underlying principle: They both trap air to create insulation. 🧵👇

Even while tidepooling, our volunteers are otter spotting!

Santa's watching a bunch of Monterey otters spending the holidays. #Christmas2025 #MunchingUrchins #LollingOnTheWaves #SeaOtters

We wrapped up the year with an incredible enrichment weekend for our volunteers — otter spotting, tidepooling, potluck feasting, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center & a necropsy demo. 🧵👇

We almost cancelled data collection today because of the storm forecast. Turn out it was a delightful day in Monterey Bay! #marinemammalresearch

Peace on Earth, goodwill toward all creatures. Happy holidays from the staff and volunteers of Sea Otter Savvy. Stay Savvy! #AllIWantForChristmas #MerryChristmas #peaceonearth #happyholidays

Post 1 — What is a Kelp Forest Mosaic? Under the ocean off central California, an underwater mosaic has taken shape–a mosaic of adjacent pieces and patches. 🧵👇

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.

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

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!

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

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...

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. 🧵👇

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!

⏰ 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 🧵👇

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

📣 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

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

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

The Sea Otter Savvy team had the pleasure of meeting Senator John Laird at Saturday’s Day on the Beach event in Santa Cruz! We shared our concerns about the weakening of long-standing laws that protect our coasts and the amazing wildlife that depends on them. #wildlifeWednesday 🧵👇

Home with your pups and needing a fun sea otter science activity? Sea Otter Savvy can help with that! Make your own 'Blubber' (crisco) glove and even 'Fur' (wool) glove and test out which one is better for staying warm in cold water: www.seaottersavvy.org/blubber-glov... Answer below 👇🦦🔬

Way to be sea otter savvy!!

For your #MondayMotivation Take the Sea Otter Savvy Pledge: www.seaottersavvy.org/pledge and join us in supporting sea otter conservation and community stewardship! Make you pledge and spread the Savvy! #SeaOtterSavvy

#Seaotters resting in kelp may wrap themselves in fronds to stay safe and secure while they sleep. Just like kelp offers protection, we can all help sea otters feel safe in their home. By watching from a distance and minimizing disturbance, we support a more peaceful ocean for everyone.

#July4th marks a time of celebration but also of sadness as we remember the loss of one of the CA coast's most photogenic sea otters. Mr. Enchilada. He was a regular where Moss Landing Rd meets the south harbor. At night, 7/4/2016 he was struck and killed by a car while crossing the road. 🧵👇

In memoriam: Jim Estes explains how sea otters run the world. Over a decades-long career as a federal scientist, #JimEstes’ groundbreaking work on #seaotters has shown just how much these charismatic animals can teach us about how the world’s ecosystems work. 🧵👇

Sea otters and river otters may both be mustelids (weasels) with big appetites, but these cousins live very different lives. Sea otters are marine mammals & their diet is specific to marine invertebrates, while river otters move between aquatic & terrestrial habitats and have a more varied diet.🧵👇

🦦+🪱 = One Strange Snack! Did you know 🦦 have a taste for one of the ocean’s weirdest creatures — the fat innkeeper worm (Urechis caupo)? These squishy, pink worms live buried in mudflats, digging U-shaped burrows for underwater shelters for all kinds of marine life. 🧵👇 #SeaOtterSavvy 📸 N. Laroche

Another Monday, and the world feels heavy. In times like these, it’s more important than ever to care for yourself. Take a cue from the 🦦—rest isn't retreat, it's resilience. Be gentle with yourself. Recharge. Reset. And remember to #RespectTheNap -yours and others’ #SeaOtterSavvy #MondayMood

Sea otters and gulls have a relationship that is mostly commensal (one benefits & the other derives neither benefit nor harm). Gulls will follow foraging #seaotters to clean up scrap —and sea otter biologists can use begging gulls as a good marker for a 🦦 when collecting foraging data.#seaottersavvy

Our Mondays are always made better with sea otter art! Remy, a 3rd grader at Central Elementary in Helena, MT interviewed our Director about 🦦 and shared her art. 🧵👇

#StewardshipSaturday On the water with Monterey Bay Kayaks’ Paw Patrol, we saw abundant wildlife, lush eelgrass, savvy kayakers, and lots of napping otters. 🦦Paw Patrol will be on the water keeping wildlife safe weekends this summer in Elkhorn Slough along with @NOAA sanctuaries’ Team OCEAN. 🙏

In 2023 we featured a #ScienceFriday that highlighted Dr. Roffler’s research on how some 🐺 in AK are switching to marine species (🦦) and had incredible footage shared from photographer Landon Bazeley of a wolf carrying off a sea otter carcass in Katmai.🧵👇 📸: @L_baze Image: G. Roffler et al. 2025

Spotted at Moss Landing Jetty, this male #seaotter has a suspected #whiteshark bite. Biologists are monitoring his condition. An injury of this kind is concerning due to the physical trauma, but also since 🦦 rely on their fur for warmth. With lacerations, he will be at higher risk to hyperthermia.🧵👇

This #WorldOceanDay —and every day—give space, pick up trash, share your voice. Respect wildlife. Our oceans are vital to life on Earth, producing over half of the oxygen we breathe and helping regulate the climate. Act to protect fragile environments and the species that hold them together.

#StewardshipSaturday! Our central coast sea otter savvy kayak shops are decking out their fleets with our new and improved kayak stickers for summer! Spot one on your kayak? Take a pic and tag us! Thanks to all the businesses that go the extra mile to protect wildlife!

The recreational salmon fishing season opens on Saturday June 7th which means a LOT more 🚤⛴️🛶coming & going from CA's harbors on their quest 🎣🐟. You can help prevent boat strikes to sea otters and other marine wildlife by sharing the info with your favorite salmon fishers. No wake, for otters’ sake!

Today celebrate #WorldOtterDay and support sea otter research: www.seaottersavvy.org/get-involved... Did you know there are 13 species of otters around the world, and all species of otters experience human threats and habitat loss. 👇🧵🦦

Happy #WorldOtterDay! 🦦 & Thank you to our Capstone student Gabe for this video. Once hunted to near extinction for their fur, sea otters are now a protected species essential to marine biodiversity. But a proposed change to the ESA could weaken habitat protections crucial to their recovery👇

Day after Memorial Day looks like...💤 It's hard to bounce back after a long weekend so be kind to yourself and others - especially all your wild neighbors - and remember to #respectthenap ! You can learn more about our disturbance research and recommended viewing guidelines at www.seaottersavvy.org

At the end of our classroom program, your students will be #SeaOtterSavvy Learn more: www.seaottersavvy.org/sea-otter-sa...

It’s #StewardshipSaturday and we are recognizing some tour boats we’ve spotted doing a GREAT job giving resting sea otters space! Remember, bigger boats need to give MORE SPACE. Shout out to Morro Bay’s Chablis Cruises and the Lost Isle—we see you being sea otter savvy! #respectthenap

With sadness and respect, we honor the legacy of Dr. Jim Estes, who passed away this week. A pioneer of marine ecology, Jim’s groundbreaking work transformed our understanding of ecosystems and the essential role of keystone predators like sea otters. He is an icon in sea otter research. 🧵👇