If you’ve ever walked the beach and pocketed a neat-looking rock, know that you share something in common with otters. The only difference is that an otter might carry its favorite rock forever, ...

Hunted for centuries for their pelts, sea otters had dwindled to near-extinction by the 1910s, leaving a population of about 1,000 worldwide and only about 50 in California, in small pockets on the ...