New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one marine predator can benefit another.

In 2013, a sea star wasting syndrome decimated populations of Pisaster along the west coast of North America and along the Monterey Peninsula in California, where this study was conducted. The orange ...

A devastating sea star plague triggered an unexpected ecological shift, creating a mussel boom that sea otters turned into a ...

Suzi Eszterhas Scientists have long designated the california sea otter a “keystone predator,” meaning what the animal eats has a large impact on its environment. The otters devour ...

Predators include humans -- otters are one of the subsistence species -- and killer whales. Bald eagles are known to hunt otter pups when other food is scarce. Biologist Jim Bodkin, who studies ...

Sea otters rely on their toolkits to feast on some of the ocean’s most armored delicacies. Shellfish, abalone, sea urchins, and crabs all have hard exteriors designed to deter predators.

New research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium reveals a surprising ripple effect in coastal ecosystems: the collapse of one ...

The new research into the phenomenon shows how the loss of a keystone predator (Pisaster) in one ecosystem can impart changes to another (sea otters), linking ecosystems. New research led by ...