Adding up otters.In "Ocean Keepers Keepers is a 2005 novel written by Gary A. Braunbeck. It was nominated for a 2005 Bram Stoker Award for "Superior Achievement in a Novel." Plot summary The main character is a shy, lonely, middle-aged man named Gil Stewart. " (p. 8), you learned that scientists keep close watch on the at-risk at-risk adj. Being endangered, as from exposure to disease or from a lack of parental or familial guidance and proper health care: efforts to make the vaccine available to at-risk groups of children. population of sea otters sea otter: see otter. sea otter or great sea otter Rare, completely marine otter (Enhydra lutris) of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. along California's coast. Each spring, these scientists tally the number of otters living near the coast. Use the data collected from the last 20 years (see graph, below) to answer the questions that follow. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] 1. About how many more sea otters were counted in 2004 compared with 2003? 2. Between which two years did the total number of sea otters change the most? 3. About how many adult sea otters were counted in 2002? (Hint: Compare the total number of otters to the number of otter otter, name for a number of aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the weasel family, found on all continents except Australia. The common river otters of Eurasia and the Americas are species of the genus Lutra. The North American river otter, L. pups.) 4. Between which two years did the number of sea otter pups decrease the most? 5. In which years were the total number of counted sea otters lower than the total number counted in the previous year? 6. In order for California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). sea otters to be taken off the list of threatened species--part of the 1977 Endangered Species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. Act--the population needs to reach at least 3,090 animals and remain at that level for three consecutive years. By approximately how many more otters does the population need to grow to reach that number? 7. The graph shows that the number of sea otters has significantly increased over the last two years. Yet you learned in "Ocean Keepers" that record numbers of sea otters have recently been found dead on beaches. How might these two trends--which seem inconsistent with each other--be explained? ANSWER 1. About 320 more otters were counted in 2004 than in 2003. 2. The total number of sea otters changed the most between 2002 and 2003. The population rose by approximately 366 animals during that time. 3. Approximately 1,846: 2,139 (Total) - 293 (Pups) = 1,846. 4. The number of sea otter pups decreased the most between 1997 and 1998. The number of pups fell by approximately 151 animals. 5. In the following years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time total number of counted sea otters was smaller than the total number counted the previous year: 1990; 1996; 1997; 1998; 1999; 2001; 2002. 6. The otter population needs to grow by at least 265 animals. 7. Answers will vary. Scientists may be discovering a higher percentage of the otters that die than they did before. Or otters may be reproducing faster than disease is killing them off, |
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