Leeza Metrovich

Within this ecosystem and at the top of its intricate food web are sea otters: guardians of the kelp forests. Sea otters are a keystone species, which means they are essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and can even restore it. As top predators of invertebrates, sea otters dive to the ocean floor to forage for shelled creatures like urchins, crabs, clams and abalone. Unlike most marine mammals, they rely on a very rapid metabolism and extremely dense fur to stay warm in the chilly ocean. In fact, sea otters eat about a quarter of their body weight every day!
The impact of a keystone species extends far beyond the animals they primarily prey upon, so how does a sea otter’s big appetite protect an entire kelp ecosystem?

As a global leader in marine mammal conservation, The Marine Mammal Center is conducting vital research and developing innovative techniques to address alarming ocean health concerns. With ocean conditions rapidly changing, our work is more important than ever—and technology is reshaping how we approach critical conservation efforts.  

Thanks to support from people like you, we are utilizing groundbreaking tools and strategies to better understand and safeguard marine mammals. Our experts are...

In recent years, increasing numbers of whales have been traveling into the nutrient-rich waters of San Francisco Bay to find food and seek refuge along their migrations. For nature enthusiasts and researchers alike, this means you don’t have to travel far to see these amazing whale behaviors from shore or boat.

Humpback whales started rebounding from the brink of extinction after hunting was put to a stop—a conservation win for endangered marine mammals. Since the population has grown, more wha

Seeing elephant seals in the wild is a truly remarkable experience, and coastal viewpoints in California offer breathtaking sights of this species that you won’t want to miss. As you watch these large, blubbery mammals interact in their natural habitat, the experience is made even more special knowing that you are witnessing a conservation success story.

Northern elephant seals were hunted to the brink of extinction by the end of the 19th century. After decades of being slaughtered for their bl

Do seals have ears? One of the most obvious ways to distinguish seals from sea lions is by looking at the sides of their head.

Sometimes referred to as true seals or “earless” seals, marine mammals in the phocid family, such as harbor seals, have ears and hear very well, but do not have external ear flaps. Instead, true seals can be identified by their small ear holes.

Unlike true seals, sea lions and fur seals have external ear flaps; these animals are in the otariid family and are sometimes

To ensure our patients are prepared—physically and mentally—to thrive in the wild, experts at The Marine Mammal Center incorporate behavioral enrichment into rehabilitation. Enrichment is any stimulus or activity that aims to improve the physical and psychological health of an animal. And as an educational tool during rehabilitation, enrichment encourages species-typical behaviors while helping an animal develop crucial problem-solving and survival skills.

Our animal care experts use their beha

Thousands of gray whales embark on the longest migration of any mammal each year, swimming up to 14,000 miles roundtrip from their Arctic feeding grounds to the warm lagoons of Mexico. As they generally stay in shallow waters, gray whales are a truly coastal species, and there are many amazing opportunities to see them from California’s beaches, headlands and coastal cliffs.

Once on the verge of extinction, the recovery of the eastern North Pacific gray whale population was considered a monumen