If You Take Away the Otter

When the sea otters disappear, why does their kelp forest habitat disappear, too?

On the Pacific Coast of North America, sea otters play, dive, and hunt for sea urchins, crabs, abalone, and fish in the lush kelp forests beneath the waves. But there was a time when people hunted the otters almost to extinction. Without sea otters to eat them, an army of hungry sea urchins grew and destroyed entire kelp forests. Fish and other animals that depended on the kelp were lost, too. But when people protected the sea otters with new laws, their numbers began to recover, and so did the kelp forests. Susannah Buhrman-Deever offers a beautifully written account of a trophic cascade, which happens when the removal of a single element affects an entire habitat. Asides that dig deeper are woven throughout Matthew Trueman’s dynamic illustrations, starring a raft of charismatic sea otters. Back matter includes more information about sea otters and kelp forests, including their importance and current status, the effects of the international fur trade on indigenous peoples, and a list of books and websites for readers who wish to continue to explore.

Susannah Buhrman-Deever, a biologist with a Ph.D. in animal behavior, is the author of Predator and Prey. In addition to her academic work and writing, she has developed inquiry-based ecology curricula for children. Susannah Buhrman-Deever lives with her family in upstate New York.

Matthew Trueman is the illustrator of several books for children, including In the Past by David Elliott, Hippos Are Huge!by Jonathan London, and One Beetle Too Many by Kathryn Lasky. He lives in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.