Sea otters 'protect the earth'

When hunting sea urchins, otters not only solve their hunger, but also help humans reduce the global warming, scientists claim.

Sea urchins eat kelp, a plant that absorbs strongly CO2 from the air. CO2 is a gas that causes climate change. Because otters eat sea urchins, they are "allies" of kelp forests.

An otter eats sea urchins.

Scientists at the University of California in the United States analyzed data on otters and kelp forests from Vancouver Island to the western edge of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, USA for 40 years. They found that kelp forests thrive in areas where sea otters often appear.

Usually sea urchins can eat up kelp in a very short time. But when the otter appeared, they were forced to hide in the rocks, so they could not eat much. The larger the number of otters in a sea area, the more kelp forest area there. Because kelp absorbs CO ₂ during photosynthesis, they contribute to reducing the impact of climate change.

"In the presence of otters, the amount of CO2 that kelp absorbs is 12 times higher than when otter does not appear , " the team confirmed in an article in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment magazine .

Professor Chris Wilmers, who led the study, acknowledged that otter could not completely prevent the growth of carbon dioxide, but said that the University of California study helps people better understand the impact of animals on ozone.