I Otter be in the Water
From The Natural Curiosity Project by Dr. Steven Shepard
May 26, 2026 · 10 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the author's experiences as a commercial diver and his encounters with marine mammals, particularly the sea otter.
When I was a commercial diver in California, I often found myself surrounded by great swarms of marine mammals--seals and sea lions, mostly. But every once in a while we were rewarded by a sea otter, the most iconic of all marine mammals. Hunted almost to extinction (their numbers went from 300,000 to 50, then bounced back), they are a charismatic keystone species that hold a special place in my heart.
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Steven Shepard
Topics covered
- marine mammals
- conservation
- sea otters
- diving
- California wildlife
Keywords
- marine mammals
- sea otter
- California
- conservation
- diving
- seals
- sea lions
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: I Otter be in the Water
Places: California, California, marine mammals, seals, sea lions, sea otter
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