Sea otters are the world cutest marine mammal and our local ecological superheroes. Not only do they make our heart squee, their ruthless hunger for kelp-devouring sea urchins help the kelp forest sustain incredible amounts of biomass, making them the most otterly adorable keystone species in the ocean.
Our mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean—and we're hard at work advancing our understanding of this watery world. Find out more about our research projects and dive into the sea of our conservation stories!
Take a look behind the scenes of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program as we follow the story of rescued pup 696. This tiny pup was found stranded at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve in February and our sea otter team jumped into action.
Our special exhibition "Tentacles: The Astounding Lives of Octopuses, Squid and Cuttlefishes" is now open! Get a look behind the scenes at the creation of these spectacular exhibits.