"SANTA CRUZ — The hairiest creature on Earth — and perhaps the cutest — peacefully drifts through offshore currents with perpetual bedhead and an urchin in its hands.

That is, until it’s in the toothy grasp of the world’s largest predatory fish — the great white shark.

If it wasn’t for these killer confrontations, the return of the southern sea otter may be one of the Central Coast’s greatest environmental success stories. Last year, the species, whose luxurious fur nearly cost otters their existence in the 18th and 19th centuries, reached a milestone in its century-long comeback story."

Sukee Bennett reports for the Santa Cruz Sentinel January 30, 2017. [2]