Sea Otters Keep the Kelp Forest Healthy
In Sea Otters Keep the Kelp Forest Healthy, narrator Sir David Attenborough examines the giant kelp ecosystem and discovers how the kelp grow. Learn how otters live among the kelp and how they keep the kelp forest healthy. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
Lesson Express
Q: How much does the kelp grow each day?
A: The kelp grows 3.2 feet (1 meter) each day.
Q: How do the sea otters anchor themselves so they don’t drift out to sea?
A: The otters wrap the kelp around themselves.
Q: How do the sea otters help the kelp?
A: The sea otters eat grazers, like urchins, who would otherwise damage the kelp if their numbers grew too large.
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