New research shows that sea otters in Alaska have different eating habits, which may be affected by competition and availability of prey.
The discovery has led to more questions than answers—specifically, are the wolves scavenging dead sea otters or preying upon live ones?
After seeing the Aleutians while serving there as an Army officer during World War II, Robert Jones knew he wanted to return and protect the area’s rich wildlife. In 1949, Jones became the first manager of what is now the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. A famously tenacious champion of wildlife rehabilitation efforts, he became known as “Sea Otter” Jones for his efforts to save sea otters and other species in the Aleutians. Jones spearheaded the effort to remove invasive foxes that were decimating wildlife in the Aleutians and is often credited for the recovery of the Aleutian cackling goose, a bird once thought extinct that was removed from the endangered species list in 2001.
Alaska’s uneasy relationship with sea otters
Southeast Alaska’s sea otters swing from boom to bust to boom
[by Cheryl Lyn Dybas]