Crabbros?? What's our response to this?>European green crabs are small, measuring just four inches across. But since they were first introduced in the 1980s, these spiny crustaceans have become a massive problem, wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems along the western coast of North America. They destroy eelgrass habitats, feast on juvenile salmon and king crab, and outcompete native crabs. In doing so, these invasive critters also pose a threat to the crabbing and fishing industries, which many coastal communities rely on for income.>European green crabs are not only detrimental to coastal ecosystems, but they’re also extremely difficult to eradicate. States have spent millions of dollars trying to combat the invaders, without much success.>Now, biologists have identified a new, furry ally in the fight against European green crabs: sea otters. At the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in California, hungry southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) are gobbling up the invasive crabs and keeping their numbers in check, researchers report this month in the journal Biological Invasions.https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hungry-sea-otters-are-taking-a-bite-out-of-californias-invasive-crab-problem-new-study-finds-180985749/
sorry I can't make this about my schizophrenic hatred of pets so I don't care, who am I supposed to epic pwn with dead animals like this?
>>4929554There's a project to restore sea otters to their historical habitat along the Oregon coasts (they're currently absent there aside from the occasional straggler from Washington), which would help connect the northern and southern sea otter populations.
>>4929554Finally a species that's cute, highly beneficial for ecosystems, and has never been recorded killing a human.**Please don't mention river otter attacks (which happen but still aren't fatal) because river otters and sea otters are highly distinct and differentiated species in appearance, genetics, and behavior.
>>4929630if an otter kills you you deserved it simple as
>>4929554I love their widdle paws
>>4929595I support Lebensraum for sea otters. They need to be restored to their historical coastal range.
>>4929787For me it's their nose and how their fur turns grey or blonde as they age
>>4929554FLOOFY
>>4929554I may be the crabanon but i absolutely support the rehabilitation of otters and the reintroduction to their habitats, and ita even better when they can help out in a biological invasion as presentedOverall 10/10 would otter again
