A Southern sea otter foraging and eating mussels in Monterey Bay. (IMAGE)

Monterey Bay Aquarium

A Southern sea otter foraging and eating mussels in Monterey Bay.

Caption

A Southern sea otter foraging and eating mussels in Monterey Bay. Research led by Monterey Bay Aquarium published in the journal Science Advances shows that a mass die-off of ochre sea stars (often called Pisaster ochraceus) due to a sea star wasting event created a mussel boom – offering sea otters an unexpected prey buffet.

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Monterey Bay Aquarium

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for use only in relation to Monterey Bay Aquarium research

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