Sea Otters Take A Dive.Southern 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. , those furry mammals that float along the Pacific coastal areas and munch munch - To transform information in a serial fashion, often requiring large amounts of computation. To trace down a data structure. Related to crunch and nearly synonymous with grovel, but connotes less pain. Often confused with mung. on sea urchins sea urchin, spherical-shaped echinoderm with movable spines covering the body. The body wall is a firm, globose shell, or test, made of fused skeletal plates and marked by regularly arranged tubercles to which the movable spines are attached. , appear to be in serious trouble. A recent fall survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the number of southern sea otter pups and young adults has dropped by 12.2 percent from 1997. And a look at annual spring surveys, a more reliable indicator of the population trend, shows that otters' numbers have steadily decreased over the last three years (see graph above). Killer whales killer whale or grampus, a large, rapacious marine mammal, Orcinus orca, of the dolphin family. Male killer whales may reach a length of 30 ft (9 m) and females half that length. are feasting on otters, but are they the sole culprit? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scientists aren't sure, but they have reason to worry: Sea otters play a vital role in the coastal-water ecosystem where they live. Without otters, the sea-urchin population would explode. The ravenous urchins would then overgraze o·ver·graze tr.v. o·ver·grazed, o·ver·graz·ing, o·ver·graz·es To permit animals to graze (vegetational cover) excessively, to the detriment of the vegetation. the sea bed, which anchors underwater kelp forests--masses of large seaweeds. The kelp forests Occurring worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans, kelp forests are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. [1] (In 2007, kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Equador. would break loose, exposing their myriads of resident marine animals like fish, crabs, and mussels to predators. And that would be an "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. " disaster! THE RULES (1) Type a one-page description of the school of the future--whether it's a school building, a single classroom, or a typical school day. (2) Explain how your ideas are realistic. (3) If you design a classroom or school building, explain how your concept uses engineering and technology. (4) Draw an illustration of your idea on a separate, plain white 8 1/2-by-11-inch page. (5) Staple the pages together and label each page with your name, age, grade, school, school address, and school phone number. (6) Then, write and sign the following statement on each page: "I give permission to the sponsors of the `Design the School of the Future Challenge' to use my entry for publicity purposes." Signed (your name). DEADLINE Mail your entry by April 30, 1999. Your entry will be judged on creativity, clarity of description, and attention to the rules. Send your entry to: Design the School of the Future Challenge National Engineers Week 1420 King Street Alexandria, VA 22314 YOU WIN! Up to 10 winning entrants will be awarded $100 each and a one-year free subscription to Science World for their school libraries.3 |
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