Southern Sea Otters Research Paper

The study conducted by Weisle, Nagaswami, and Peterson is displayed about river otters and how they are different in structure from other marine mammals. River otters must depend on their thick layer of hair for survival. River otters are semi-aquatic mammals, which are considered to have denser fur than any other mammals. It’s thick, sleek coat, which keeps it dry and warm, is made up of two types of hair. The longer outer hairs are water repellent as known as guard hairs, and the other is underhair. The guard hairs could provide some protection for the more delicate underhairs. The three authors of this article, “River otter hair structure facilitates interlocking to impede penetration of water and allow,” addresses a question upon why the

There are five teams that are worthy of being called the greatest team in NFL history: the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 1984 San Francisco 49’ers, the 2007 Patriots, however the 1985 Chicago Bears stand out amongst the crowd because of their outrageous defense, popularity amongst the NFL fans, and their roster that was filled with Hall of Fame talent. According to the 1985 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players (2017), the team finished with a season record of 15-1. News analyst Tony Andracki (2016) stated that, “The 1985 Bears turned in one of the most dominant seasons in American Sports” (p.1).

The area of research that I have selected is the effects of overfishing in the Sea Otter ecosystem off the coast of California. The effects caused by the fishing pressure on the ecosystem will have different outcomes, depending on the strength and the types of relationships of the organisms present. (4) Red Abalone populations have declined drastically, to the point of the abalone fishery collapse. Several factors have led up to the collapse including Withering Syndrome, where the organism loses the ability to attach itself to rocks, making it more susceptible to predation, or the organism can eventually wither and starve to death. Sea Urchins and Red Abalone are a part of the same ecosystem, and are competitors of each other.(5) Both organisms graze on macroalgae and are a primary food source for Sea Otters. Sea Otters occurred from the North Pacific Rim down to Baja California, Mexico, but now only occur in small isolated patches (9) It is understood that Sea Otter presence can characterize community structure, where they can control and determine the size of Sea Urchin and Red Abalone populations. In the absence of Sea Otters, “Urchin Barrens” are created from the overgrazing of macroalgae by Sea Urchin. In these areas the ecosystem have changed dramatically, due to the overfishing, or in this case the over hunting, of Sea Otters causing a trophic cascade.(7)In some areas, Sea Otters have been reintroduced, in other areas they were never removed, and in others they

The leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, belong in the phylum of Chordate, class of reptilian, order of Testudines, and the family of Dermochelyidae. These reptiles can be found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world. The average life expectancy of a leatherback turtle is forty-five years. Average size of the turtles upper shell, carapace, is about five feet and has a rubber-like texture feel to it consisting mainly of oil-saturated connective tissue. On average Dermochelys coriacea can weigh any where from approximately six hundred to two thousand pounds. In length these turtles are typically fifty-five to seventy-nine inches. The lack of claws is another distinguishing

“California has it’s own list of endangered species of animals.” Like all states, California is home to many species of animals that are listed and protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. (http://www.allaboutwildlife.com/endangered-species/californias-endangered-animals/6037)

Sea minks are now extinct but were once ranged from Casco Bay, Maine in the south to as far north as New Brunswick, Canada. Their main habitats are coastal regions. Sea minks are usually confused with the American mink, but the sea mink is bigger. Sea minks are on average 914mm but the American mink is 580-700mm, so there is a good difference in size. Also the male sea minks are larger in size compared to the females. Their fur is a reddish dark brown, and it is not known if their fur changes during the summer and winter.

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Achieve3000, August 7, 2015). A rare leatherback sea turtle was found on a South Carolina beach in March 2015. The enormous reptile weighed 476 pounds (216 kilograms). It was spotted on the Yawkey-South Island Reserve in Georgetown County. The creature was brought to the South Carolina Aquarium. Workers named her Yawkey. She was treated with fluids, antibiotics, and vitamins. She was the first leatherback to be found alive in South Carolina. Caretakers were eager to see her returned to the sea.

Nature has a unique way of working, then the humankind comes and ruins it all. The California Sea Lion is feeding off a species on the endangered species list, The Salmon. The Salmon attempts to travel upstream thru the Bonneville Dam where the Sea Lion awaits them. The Sea lion then eat them not allowing them to travel upstream becoming a greater problem for the already endangered species.

In Astoria, Oregon, invasive colonies of California Sea Lion have become overpopulated causing depleted populations of native fish, economical issues for the coastal city and they have caused immense damage to the docks. Due to the destructive nature of this invasive species on this ecosystem it becomes necessary to determine what is the most effective way of deterring California Sea Lions from colonizing on the Astoria docks and shoreline. If we relocate the California Sea Lions then, there will be a larger consistent decrease in the sea lion population than when scare tactics were previously used.

The lecture and the article cover the decline in sea otters population in the recent few years. Two main theories arised to explain that rapid decline. Pollution is suggested as the main reason behind this decline by the author. However, the lecturer opposes that. He believes that Predation is the main cause.

Conservation Efforts: Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes is as a least concerned species but among human settlements their habitats are being damaged. Northern Pacific Rattlesnake populations are being impacted by agricultural expansion, habitat destruction, entertainment purposes, hide trading and road construction. Vehicle collision is the most common way for Northern Pacific Rattlesnake to be killed.

Southern sea otter lives in kelp forests (a type of seaweed) along the Pacific coast, mainly off the coast of California. The marine mammals consume on average one-fourth of its weight daily including sea urchins, which are vital to support the kelp forests. By the result of sea otters preying on sea urchins, the consumption of kelp by sea urchins are kept at a constant rate allowing the forest to grow and thrive. This is highly important for biodiversity in the sea that is provided by the kelp forest, which is a key component of the three principles of sustainability. There are three ways that human can do to help prevent the premature extinction of southern sea otters. First, ethical issue that consists of the species being seen as vital

The mutated Brown-throated sloth should sexually reproduce. The mutated Brown-throated sloth has turbo speed, to run away from predators, with a heterozygous genotype. Also, it has a bright stripe, which alerts predators to its presence, with a homozygous recessive genotype. If the sloth were to reproduce asexually, the offsprings would be a copy with the bright stripe and turbo speed. But, if it were to reproduce sexually with a mate that has no turbo speed with a homozygous recessive genotype, and no bright stripe with a homozygous dominant genotype, the offsprings would have a fifty percent chance of turbo speed and a one-hundred percent chance of no bright stripe. The sloth should reproduce sexually because of the possible offsprings. With

Sea otters, (Enhydra lutris), are considered a keystone species, and for this reason, can be useful indicators of nearshore ecosystem health (Kreuder et al. 2003). With the implementation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) populations within their California range rebounded from post fur trade levels of approximately 50-60 in 1938, to more than 3000 today. However, growth rates have been slower than expected for this population (Riedman and Estes 1990). Definitive explanation for this is unclear, but contributing factors may be that sea otters face a range of physiological and environmental challenges to reproduce.

As referred to in “Zoologists and Wildlife biologists Ocupational” the median salary for a wildlife biologist is about $59,680 per year which is $28.69 hourly. The lowest ten percent earned less than $39,180, and the highest ten percent earned more than $97,390. According to “Salary:Wildlife Biologist” the average annual pay for the Johnstown area is about $42,061. Depending on where you work you will get paid a different amount. Overall Pennsylvania has an annual salary of $60,000 and and hourly pay of $28.85. West Virginia has an annual salary of $47,300 and $22.74 hourly. Connecticut has an annual salary of $91,240 and a hourly pay of $43.87("Zoologists And Wildlife Biologists :: Salaries"). You don't immediately get paid that amount of money. Depending on how long you have